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Illinois  State 

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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


DOWN  THE  TENNESSEE  RIVER,  CALLOWAY  CO..  KY. 


Geological  Survey  of  Kentucky. 

JOHN  R.  PROCTER,  Director. 


E;  E O E/T 


ON  THE 

GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

OF  THE 

JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION, 

EMBRACING  THE  COUNTIES  OF 


BALLARD,  CALLOWAY,  FULTON,  GRAVES, 
HICKMAN,  MCCRACKEN,  AND 
MARSHALL. 

By  R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE,  Ph.  D. 


6TEBE0TTPKD  FOR  THK  SURVEY  BY  JOHN  D.  WOODS,  PUBLIC  PRINTER  AND  BINDER,  FRANKFORT,  KY. 


s 


. 4 


-V 


■A 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page, 


Letter  of  transmittal 2 

History  of  the  Purchase 7 

Surface  configuration:  Elevation;  Lowlands;  Uplands;  Plateaus  of  varying 
elevations  8 

Drainage  Systems:  Tennessee  basin;  Clark’s  river  basin;  Ohio  basin;  Missis- 
sippi basin 13 

Transportation  Facilities 16 

Geological  Features:  Border  of  the  Purchase;  Paleozoic  shelf 17 

Devonian  22 

Subcarboniferous 26 

Cretaceous 32 

Tertiary:  Hickman;  Lignitic;  Lagrange 36 

Quaternary : Gravel  beds ; Tennessee  river  gravel ; Ore  region  gravel ; 

Gravel  conglomerate 57 

Stratified  drift : Area  covered  ; Deposition  ; Sand  and  sandstones  ....  63 

Port  Hudson:  Blue  clays;  Micaceous  clay  loam  of  valleys 73 

Loess  or  grey  silt:  Shells  from  loess 77 

Brown  loam,  lower  and  upper 80 

Alluvium:  VpJley  gravel 82 


Economic  Geoi,ogy 84 

Clays:  Uses;  Methods  of  manufacture;  Common  brick;  Front  building  brick ; 
Terra-cotta  lumber;  Fire-brick;  Gas  retorts;  Pottery;  Earthenware;  White- 
ware  and  porcelain;  Ornamental  terra-cotta;  Encaustic  tile;  Drain  pipe  or 

tile 84 

Character  of  the  Purchase  clays : Refractory  clays;  Hickman  blufTs;  Columbus 
bluffs;  White  plastic  clays;  Black  or  bluish  clays;  Comparison  with  Ger- 
man fire-clay;  Unrefractory  clays ; Ochreous  clays 96 

Lignite  or  brown  coal 119 

Iron  ores:  Of  ore  region  gravel ; Of  later  gravel;  Clay  ironstone;  Magnetite; 

Iron  pyrites  122 

Vivianite:  Galena;  Gypsum;  Greensand;  Sand;  Polishing  powder 127 

Water  supply 134 

Agricultural  Features 139 

Lowlands:  River  bottom  lands;  Bottoms  of  smaller  streams;  Valley  lands; 

Tennessee;  Ohio;  Clark’s  river 141 

Uplands:  Cane  hills;  Flatwoods;  Barrens;  Oak  and  hickory  lands 156 


I I 3 J040 


4 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


ANTKiCJiTiES : Fulton  county;  Hickman  county;  Ballard  county;  McCracken 

county;  Mar.shall  county 173 

Appendix  I;  Description  of  fossil  plants  from  Tennessee 196 

Appendix  II:  Description  of  fossil  plants  from  near  Wickliffe 198 

Appendix  III:  Kesult  of  examination  of  material  from  bored  well  in  Paducah.  . 321 

Description  OF  Counties:  Fulton;  Hickman;  Ballard;  McCracken;  Marshall; 
Graves ; Calloway 201 

ILLUSTRATIONS,  SECTIONS,  ETC. 

Down  the  Tennessee  river,  Calloway  county Frontispiece. 

Cretaceous  beds  at  mouth  of  Cypress 3-6 

Hickman  Bluffs 38 

Bluff  at  Columbus ^ ....  47 

Irregular  and  cross  lamination  of  sands  at  Columbus 54 

Plain  east  of  Columbus.  Chalk  Banks  and  Mississippi  river 55 

Railroad  cut  near  Boaz 67 

Escarpment  of  the  bluff  at  Columbus 79 

Swamp  cypress,  Calloway  county 1.50 

Bartrum  oak,  Calloway  county 168 

Indian  fortification  two  miles  east  of  Hickman 175 

Indian  mounds  on  Bayou  de  Chien  177 

Indian  fortification  two  miles  south  of  Laketon 181 

Indian  mounds  south  of  Mayfield  creek 182 

Indian  mounds  at  Wickliffe 185 

Indian  footprints  in  sand  rock 189 

Indian  mounds  on  Jonathan  creek 193 

Indian  characters  on  rock  at  Haddock’s  Ferry  194 

Sketch  of  fossil  leaves  from  Tennessee 197 

Section  of  clay  showing  markings 269 

Sketch  showing  section  of  the  Paducah  well  and  the  great  fault  in  Paleozoic 
strata 323 

MAPS. 

Maps  showing  geology  and  elevations. 

Showing  agricultural  features. 

Showing  deposition  of  gravel  beds. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


Professor  John  R.  Procter,  Director: 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  my  report  on 
that  portion  of  Kentucky  lying  between  the  Tennessee  and 
Mississippi  rivers,  and  known  as  the  Jackson  Purchase. 

The  report  embraces : 

1.  A description  of  the  general  topographical,  geological, 
economic  and  agricultural  features. 

2.  A chapter  on  antiquities. 

3.  A description  of  each  of  the  seven  counties  included  in 
the  region. 

The  report  having,  for  the  most  part,  been  prepared  before 
the  organization  of  all  of  that  part  of  Ballard  county  south 
of  Mayfield  creek  into  the  new  county  of  Carlisle,  it  would 
have  required  much  time  and  labor  to  revise  the  work  with 
reference  to  that  county ; then,  too,  the  maps  that  accom- 
pany the  report  were  already  engraved  and  published,  and 
to  have  made  new  ones  would  have  entailed  a very  heavy 
expense  upon  the  Survey.  Under  the  circumstances,  there- 
fore, reference  to  the  county  of  Carlisle  is  omitted. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  say  that  in  my  field  work  I have 
met  with  every  encouragement  on  the  part  of  the  citizens 
of  the  region,  many  of  whom  gave  me  very  material  assist- 
ance. Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Mr.  W.  F.  Bradshaw, 
Dr.  S.  C.  Caldwell  and  Capt.  Golay  (U.  S.  Engineer  Corps), 
of  Paducah ; Mr.  Lilley,  of  Birmingham,  and  Mr.  Ed  Brown, 
of  Buffalo  Landing. 

The  Survey  is  also  indebted  to  Mr.  W.  Taylor,  Superin- 
tendent, and  Karl  Langenbeck,  Ph.  D.,  Chemist  of  the  Rook- 
wood  Pottery,  Cincinnati,  for  tests  made  with  more  than 
thirty  samples  of  clays  sent  from  the  Purchase  counties. 
The  specimens  of  crude  “biscuit  ware”  and  of  beautifully 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


decorated  ware,  have  been  presented  to  the  Survey  museum, 
and  have  been  the  object  of  great  admiration  on  the  part 
of  visitors. 

To  Prof.  Wetherby,  of  Cincinnati,  the  Survey  is  indebted 
for  determinations  of  shells  from  the  Loess  bluffs ; to  Mr. 
Angelo  Heilprin  for  that  of  Tertiary  fossil  casts  from  near 
Paducah,  and  to  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  for  identifi- 
cation of  fossil  flora  from  the  clays  and  clay-stones  of  the 
Tertiary  of  Kentucky. 

With  assurances  of  my  high  appreciation  for  the  cordial 
assistance  and  uniform  courtesy  which  I have  received  from 
yourself  and  from  the  officers  of  the  Survey, 

I am,  very  respectfully, 

R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE,  Assistant  Geologist. 


JACKSON’S  PURCHASE. 


The  country  embraced  between  the  Mississippi,  Ohio  and 
Tennessee  rivers,  and  the  Tennessee  State  line  on  the  south, 
and  covering  an  area  of  about  2,340  square  miles,  is  com- 
monly known  as  “Jackson’s  Purchase,”  from  the  fact  of  its 
having  been  purchased  from  the  Chickasaw  Indians  by  Gen. 
Andrew  Jackson,  a commissioner  appointed  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  to  make  a treaty  with  them. 

The  history  of  the  purchase,  so  far  as  I have  been  able  to 
ascertain  from  records  and  other  sources,  is  as  follows : 

The  Legislature  of  Kentucky,  for  the  session  of  1817,  re- 
cognizing the  right  and  title  of  that  region  as  belonging  to 
the  Chickasaw  Indians,  memorialized  Congress  to  purchase 
the  lands  from  the  Indians  This  was  acceded  to,  and  Gov. 
Isaac  Shelby  for  Kentucky,  and  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson  for 
Tennessee,  were  appointed  commissioners  by  the  President. 
They  met  with  the  Indian  Council  at  King’s  Mountain.  The 
Indians,  however,  had  so  strong  an  animosity  toward  Gov. 
Shelby  that  they  refused  to  treat  with  him,  and  Jackson  was 
obliged  to  conclude  the  treaty  in  his  own  name,  promising, 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  pay  $20,000  annually 
for  fifteen  years.  The  treaty  was  signed  on  October  19,  1818. 

The  following  Legislature  of  Kentucky,  recognizing  the 
fact  that  the  State  had  “recently  come  into  possession  of  a 
large  additional  territory,”  passed  an  act  for  the  survey  of 
the  line  between  this  State  and  Tennessee. 

The  Purchase  region  became  then  a part  of  Livingston . 
and  Caldwell  counties,  but  in  1821  was  formed  into  Hick- 
man county;  the  same  act  also  outlining  three  other  counties 
which  should  be  organized  so  soon  as  the  x>opulation  justi- 
fied it.  Calloway  was  formed  in  1822,  Graves  in  1823,  and 
McCracken  in  1824. 

In  1842  Marshall  county  was  cut  off  from  Calloway,  and 
Ballard  from  Hickman,  and  in  1845  McCracken  and  Fulton 
were  organized  from  Hickman. 


8 


GKOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  Purchase  now  embraces  the  seven  counties  above 
enumerated,  and  had  in  1880  an  aggregate  population  of 
96,348  persons,  a little  over  one-half  of  whom  were  males. 
The  number  of  voters  in  1880  was  21,588. 

In  1830  the  population  of  the  Purchase  was  14,163,  which 
was  more  than  doubled  in  the  next  decade ; the  county 
of  Graves  receiving  the  largest  accessions.  Each  succeeding 
census  shows  a continued  increase  in  population. 

Graves  took  the  lead  among  the  counties  in  1850,  and  has 
kept  that  place  to  the  present  time,  her  population  number- 
ing 24,138.  McCracken  ranks  next,  16,262,  nearly  half  of 
whom  are  included  in  the  city  of  Paducah. 

The  surface  of  the  country  is  very  generally  rolling,  and 
more  or  less  broken  and  irregular  from  the  many  streams 
and  small  tributaries  that  have  deeply  cut  their  way  into 
it.  The  broad  areas  of  comparatively  level  uplands  occupy- 
ing the  water-divides  in  various  parts  of  the  region,  are 
themselves  quite  generally  grooved  with  ravines  and  gullies 
along  the  borders  of  the  streams,  the  light  brown  loam  soil 
being  easily  borne  away  during  washing  rains.  On  the  large 
creeks  and  rivers  the  country  is  generally  very  deeply  eroded, 
forming  “breaks”  or  a broken  and  rough  country.  Such 
is  especially  the  case  along  the  north  and  east  borders  of 
Mayfield  creek. 

The  most  broken  portions  lie  along  the  Tennessee  river  on 
the  east,  through  Calloway  and  Marshall  counties,  and  along 
the  Mississippi  river  bluffs  from  the  State  line  northward  to 
the  town  of  Hickman.  There  are,  however,  no  prominent 
high  points  in  any  part  of  the  region  other  than  those  that 
represent  the  remnants  of  what  was  once  a broad  plain,  and 
’ whose  summits  are  no  higher  than  the  general  level  of  the 
country. 

Elevation. — The  altitude  determinations,  as  given  on  the 
map  accompanying  this  report,  were  made  chiefly  with  an 
aneroid  barometer.  The  readings  being  frequently  repeated 
and  corrected  for  weather  changes,  with  the  low-water  de- 
terminations made  by  the  United  States  engineers  between 
New  Madrid  and  Paducah  to  serve  as  a base,  it  is  believed 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  ruRCHASE  region. 


9 


that  the  elevations  as  given  are  approximately  correct. 
Back-water  from  the  Paducah  flood  in  1883,  along  the  vari- 
ous streams,  also  furnished  points  from  which  to  check  ba- 
rometer readings. 

Low  Lands. — Between  Cairo  and  Hickman  the  Mississippi 
river  has  a fall  of  sixteen  feet.  The  low-water  mark  of  the 
river  at  Hickman  is  266  feet  above  the  sea ; the  wide  bot- 
tom lands,  subject  to  yearly  overflows,  being  estimated  to  be 
about  295  feet,  while  the  old  depot  of  the  N.  C.  & St.  L. 
R.  R.  is  301  feel  The  bluffs  rise  160  feet  higher,  that  por- 
tion of  the  town  being  461  feet  above  the  sea.  The  town  of 
Columbus,  further  up  the  river  and  located  on  its  bank,  has 
an  altitude  of  about  309  feet,  while  above  it  the  bluffs  rise 
abruptly  for  125  feet. 

From  Cairo  to  Paducah  the  Ohio  has  a rise  of  fourteen 
feet,  low-water  mark  at  the  latter  place  being  286  feet.  Above 
this,  as  shown  by  the  river  gauge,  the  banks  rise  fifty  feet, 
the  town  of  Paducah  having  an  altitude  of  341  feet  above  th 
sea.* 

The  Tennessee  river,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  has  a fall 
of  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  Tennessee  State  line  to  Paducah. 
Its  eastern  bank  is  at  the  immediate  foot  of  Subcarboniferous 
limestone  and  flint  bluffs,  while  on  the  west  the  hills  lie  from 
one-half  mile  to  one  mile  from  the  bank.  The  bottom  land 
proper  is  an  extremely  narrow  belt  (too  much  so  to  be  marked 
on  the  map)  subject  to  annual  overflows.  The  rest  of  the  val- 
ley is  mostly  above  overflow,  and  the  central  portion  is  higher 
than  that  near  the  hills,  which  is  usually  occupied  by  a slough 
or  creek.  From  its  border,  the  hills  rise  rather  suddenly  to 
elevations  of  from  160  feet  on  the  south  to  100  feet  on  the 
north. 

Clark’s  river  has  scarcely  any  bottom  land,  but  is  bordered 
on  the  west  by  a broad  and  level  valley,  an  extension  of  the 
Ohio  river  valley,  as  far  south  as  Carter’s  Mill  or  Kaler  Post- 
office,  a distance  of  nearly  twelve  miles  in  a direct  line  from 


* The  elevation  of  Paducah,  as  given  by  the  C.  0.  and  S.  W.  R.  R.,  and  published 
in  the  Dictionary  of  Altitudes  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  is  484  feet — 
the  error  extending  also  eastward  for  all  the  railroad  stations  in  the  Purchase  region.. 


10 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


its  mouth.  Back-water  from  the  Paducah  overflow  reached 
to  Lyle’s  Mill,  showing  a fall  of  about  fifty  feet  to  low- water 
at  Paducah.  On  the  East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river  the  back- 
water reached  to  within  three  miles  of  the  bridge  at  Benton. 

Mayfield  creek,  emptying  into  the  Mississippi  river,  is  bor- 
dered by  broad  bottom  lands  to  almost  its  source.  There  is  a 
fall  of  about  sixty  feet  in  the  river  from  near  Mayfield  to 
Blandville,  to  which  back-water  from  Mississippi  floods  reaches 
through  a distance  of  only  seven  miles.  On  the  north  the 
uplands  rise  abruptly  to  120  feet  above  the  creek  ; but  on  the 
south  they  rise  more  gradually  for  several  miles  before  they 
reach  the  same  elevation  as  on  the  north.  An  exception  to 
this  feature  occurs  at  the  junction  of  Mayfield  and  Mississippi 
bottoms,  where  the  high  bluffs  that  face  the  latter  river  have 
been  cut  in  two  by  Mayfield  creek,  and  present  abrupt  points 
both  on  the  north  and  south. 

There  is  a difference  of  between  thirty  and  forty  feet  between 
the  levels  of  the  waters  of  Mayfield  creek  and  Clark’s  river 
at  the  points  where  they  come  nearest  each  other,  viz.:  Boaz 
and  Kaler,  a distance  of  four  miles. 

Obion  creek  and  Bayou  de  Chien  are  each  bordered  by 
wide  and  low  bottoms,  subject  to  overflow.  Back-water  from 
Mississippi  river  floods  reaches  up  the  former  to  a point  east 
of  Columbus ; and  on  the  Bayou  de  Chien  to  a little  above 
the  mouth  of  Little  Bayou  de  Chien. 

Uplands. — The  highest  elevation  of  the  entire  region  is 
along  the  dividing  ridge  from  Pilot  Oak,  in  Craves  county, 
eastward  to  Lynnville,  and  thence  southward  to  the  Ten- 
nessee line,  south  of  Murray,  where  an  altitude  of  600  feet 
is  reached ; this  then  passes  south-eastward  towards  the  Ten- 
nessee river  east  of  Paris,  in  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

The  next  highest  portion  of  the  Purchase  region,  that 
lying  about  500  feet  above  sea  level,  occurs  on  the  south-east, 
forming  a broad  section  from  the  Tennessee  line  northward  for 
about  ten  miles,  and  westward  beyond  Crossland  ; embracing, 
also,  the  narrow  water-divide  that  farther  north  reaches  west- 
ward by  Lynnville  and  Pilot  Oak  and  separates  the  head 
waters  of  Mayfield,  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien  from  those 


OF  THE  .Jackson’s  puuciiask  kkoion. 


11 


wliich  flow  south  into  Tennessee  ; other  northerly  extensions 
reach  to  Farmington  and  Kirksey.  The  surface  presents 
broad  and  comparatively  level  plateaus  west  of  the  Blood 
river,  not  so  much  furrowed  by  eros’ions  as  are  the  lower 
elevations  of  the  Purchase,  though  small  streams  are  numer- 
ous. East  of  Blood  river  the  country  is  very  broken  and 
hilly,  the  streams  having  cut  deeply  arid  broadly  into  the 
loam  and  gravel  material. 

The  third  plateau  of  from  450  to  500  feet  chiefly  lies  imme- 
diately north  of  the  one  just  mentioned,  reaching  to  Benton,  in 
Marshall  county ; while  westward  two  long  narrow  arms  pass, 
the  one  south-west  to  the  Tennessee  line  south  of  Feliciana, 
and  thence  east  to  Crossland  ; the  other  northward  for  ten  or 
more  miles,  and  thence  north-westward  nearly  to  Woodville, 
and  on  a course  toward  the  Grand  Chain  of  the  Ohio ; its 
northward  trend  forms  the  summit  of  the  dividing  ridge 
separating  the  waters  of  the  Mayfield  creek  and  West  Fork 
of  Clark’s  river,  rising  abruptly  from  the  former,  but  imme- 
diately sloping  towards  the  latter.  The  contour  is  highest 
to  the  southward,  where  it  gradually  rises  to  the  higher 
elevations. 

Another  plateau  of  the  same  elevation  occurs  on  a high 
bluff  bordering  the  Mississippi  river,  from  Hickman  south 
into  Tennessee,  presenting  a very  abrupt  face  toward  the 
west,  and  sloping  eastward  from  its  immediate  edge. 

There  is  very  little*  room  for  doubt  that  it  once  continued 
not  only  westward  over  the  region  where  now  the  Mississipi^i 
river  flows,  but  northward  to  Illinois,  to  be  subsequently  cut 
away  by  erosions. 

At  the  Tennessee  line  the  plateau  falls  gradually  eastward 
for  several  miles,  but  in  the  region  of  Hickman  it  is  narrow, 
and  its  eastern  side  is  rather  abrupt. 

Between  the  Bayou  de  Chien  and  the  Obion  the  upland  has 
receded  eastward  beyond  the  bluff  plateau,  and  it  is  only  after 
passing  to  the  north  of  the  latter  stream  that  we  again  find.it, 
but  then  with  an  elevation  but  little  above  the  main  upland. 
The  bluff  northward  has  a north-west  trend  which  again 
brings  it  toward  the  high  plateau  region,  and  its  elevation 
increases  to  430  feet  at  Chalk  Banks  and  Columbus,  which 


12 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


points  are  five  miles  east  of  a direct  north  and  south  line 
from  Hickman.  The  bluffs  here  also  have  a gradual  eastward 
slope,  the  highest  points  being  on  the  immediate  brows  of  the 
abrupt  face.  * 

Between  Columbus  and  Chalk  Banks  (two  miles  below)  the 
bluffs  recede  to  the  eastward,  and  have  a much  lower  eleva- 
tion. Still  northward  toward  Wickliffe  and  beyond,  the  ele- 
vations are  less  and  less  as  the  bluffs  bend  to  the  eastward 
or. away  from  the  supposed  line  of  high  plateau. 

At  Hickman  the  bluffs  seem  to  have  been  cut  away  by 
eroding  floods,  whose  course  was  from  the  north-west,  act- 
ing at  the  same  time  upon  the  entire  line  of  bluffs  from 
Cairo  southward.* 

The  fourth  area,  embracing  elevations  of  from  400  to  450 
feet,  forms  a diagonal  stretch  of  country  from  near  the 
Tennessee  river  on  the  north-east  to  near  Clinton  on  the 
south-west,  extending  also  to  the  north-west  on  the  north 
side  of  Mayfield  creek,  and  embracing  the  narrow  bluffs 
along  the  Mississippi  river  from  Mayfield  creek  to  Co- 
lumbus, and  southward,  and  also  a broader  region  on  the 
south-west  near  the  Tennessee  line. 

The  lowest  uplands,  with  elevation  of  from  350  to  400  feet, 
embrace  the  flats  or  valley  lands  along  the  Tennessee  and 
Ohio  rivers,  and  a broad  region  reaching  from  Mayfield  creek 
southward  to  the  Tennessee  line. 

The  former  differ  greatly  from  the  latter,  and  will  be  sepa- 
rately described  elsewhere. 

The  surface  of  the  latter  is  uneven  from  erosions  by  numer- 
ous streams. 

The  deep  trough-like  depressions  in  the  western  portion  of 
the  plain,  would  seem  to  have  been  caused  by  the  debouche- 
ment  of  the  rapid  and  deep  current  of  the  Mississippi  river 
into  the  embayment  in  their  south-westerly  course,  before 
its  momentum  was  checked. 

The  north  side  was  apparently  deeply  eroded  by  impact  of 
the  Ohio  river  current. 

* Crowley’s  ridge  in  the  Mississippi  river  bottom  in  Arkansas,  with  its  altitude 
160  feet  above  the  river,  is  doubtless  a relic  of  the  plateau. 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  'purchase  region. 


13 


Drainage. — A dividing  ridge,  lying  nearly  east  and  west 
along  the  Tennessee  State  line,  forms  the  Purchase  region 
into  a water-shed  ; the  Tennessee  on  the  east,  flowing  north- 
ward, the  Ohio  on  the  north,  flowing  westward,  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  on  the  west,  flowing  southward,  receiving  almost 
the  entire  drainage  water,  the  area  drained  south  into  the 
State  of  Tennessee  covering  only  about  eighty-five  square 
miles. 

The  respective  areas  drained  by  each  river  are  approxi- 
mately 850  square  miles  into  the  Tennessee,  250  square  miles 
into  Ohio,  and  1,150  square  miles  into  the  Mississippi  direct. 

The  general  course  of  all  of  the  larger  interior  streams  is 
to  the  north  and  north-west;  those  entering  the  Tennessee 
river  on  the  east  flowing  almost  parallel  with  it  for  many 
miles  before  turning  east. 

Tennessee  Basin. — The  north  and  south  basin  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, omitting  that  of  Clark’s  river,  is  narrow,  not  exceed- 
ing twelve  miles  in  its  greatest  width  within  this  State ; its 
area  is  about  350  square  miles.  The  only  tributaries  of  note 
are  Blood  river,  in  Calloway  county,  which,  rising  in  Ten- 
nessee, flows  northward  ten  miles  and  turns  abruptly  to  the 
east,  with  a width  of  about  twenty-five  feet ; Jonathan’s 
creek,  rising  in  the  northern  part  of  Calloway,  flowing  north 
for  twelve  miles,  turns  east  three  miles  to  the  Tennessee  Val- 
ley, and  again  north  to  the  river ; and  Big  and  Little  Bear 
creek,  the  former  lying  within  the  valley,  the  latter  in 
the  hills,  but  both  uniting  and  emptying  into  the  river. 
These  streams  are  narrow,  and  have  but  narrow  bottom 
lands  on  either  side. 

Cypress  creek,  another  tributary,  rises  near  Briensburg  and 
flows  northward  until  it  reaches  the  river  flats,  when  it  turns 
westward  for  six  miles,  parallel  with  the  general  course  of 
the  Tennessee  river  throughout.  Its  bottom  lands,  before 
reaching  the  valley,  are  very  broad,  presenting,  during  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year,  an  almost  impassable  cypress  swamp 
several  miles  in  width.  After  entering  the  valley  there  is 
scarcely  any  bottom  land  along  the  creek. 

Clark' s River  Basin. — This  stream,  with  its  two  forks  and 


14 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  E(50NOMIC  FEATURES 


tributaries,  drains  an  area  of  about  500  square  miles.  The 
head  waters  of  each  fork  are  near  together ; thence  the 
West  Fork  flows  nearly  northward  and  the  East  Fork  east- 
ward for  nine  miles,  the  latter  then  bends  northward  and 
north-westward  by  Murray  and  Benton,  uniting  with  the 
former  about  five  miles  in  a due  course  from  the  junction 
with  the  Tennessee  river.  The  main  river  is  narrow,  flows 
between  steep  banks,  and  has  but  little  true  bottom  land, 
being  bordered  by  a broad  flat  valley  region.  Each  of  the 
forks  has,  on  the  contrary,  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  mile 
of  well-timbered  bottom  land. 

Ohio  Basin. — The  area  drained  by  streams  running  into  the 
Ohio  direct  is  about  250  square  miles,  embracing  the  coun- 
try south  of  the  river,  almost  to  the  bluffs  of  Mayfield 
creek. 

The  streams  are  mostly  very  small,  and  have  very  little 
bottom  land.  Massac,  Clanton  and  Humphrey’s  creeks  are 
the  largest,  the  latter  two  uniting  just  before  emptying  into 
the  river.  Shawnee  creek,  south  of  Humphrey’s  creek,  while 
flowing  west  into  the  Ohio  bottom  lands,  turns  immediately 
southward  with  a slough-like  channel  to  the  Mississippi  river 
at  Wickliffe. 

3Iississippi  Basin. — The  main  drainage  streams  of  the 
Mississippi  Basin  are  Mayfield,  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Cliien. 

An  interesting  feature  connected  with  the  Mayfield  and 
Bayou  de  Chien  is,  that  they  drain  very  little  of  the  coun- 
try on  the  north  of  their  banks ; and  that  the  north  bluffs 
of  the  Ohio  and  Mayfield  creek  are  high  and  precipitous, 
while  on  the  south  of  each  the  country  rises  very  gradually 
for  many  miles  before  assuming  the  elevation  of  the  north 
bluffs. 

Mayfield  creek  rises  in  the  southern  central  part  of  the 
region,  flows  northward  to  within  twelve  miles  of  the  Ohio 
river,  and  turns  quite  abruptly  west  to  the  Mississippi.  Its 
basin,  covering  an  area  of  890  square  miles,  is,  south  of  May- 
field,  quite  wide,  but  narrows  at  Mayfield  and  northward  to 
but  four  or  five  miles,  while  in  its  westerly  course  it  receives 
the  drainage  waters  of  a large  scope  of  country  on  the  south. 


OF  TiiF  Jackson’s  purchask  region. 


15 


The  divide  between  these  two  parts  of  the  basin  lies  just 
east  of  Kansas,  Pottsville  and  Anytime,  but  is  low  and 
scarcely  perceptible.  From  the  east  and  north  the  creek 
receives  very  little  drainage,  the  high  bluffs  being  often  the 
summit  of  the  water-divide.  These  bluffs  border  the  bot- 
tom land  from  the  Mississippi  river  bottoms  east  and  south 
nearly  to  Mayfield,  with  an  elevation  of  about  120  feet. 
They  then  become  lower  and  less  abrupt.  On  the  south  the 
lauds  rise  gradually  from  low  and  rounded  bluffs  for  many 
miles,  reaching,  at  Milburn  and  Fancy  Farm,  the  elevation 
of  the  bluffs  north  of  the  creek. 

The  main  tributary  is  Little  Mayfield  creek,  which  rises 
near  Mayfield  and  unites  with  the  main  stream  near  Bland- 
ville.  Wilson’s  creek  is  another  tributary.  Mayfield  and 
Little  Mayfield  creeks  have  wide  and  well-timbered  bottom 
lands. 

The  Obion  creek  drains  a basin  of  about  250  square  miles, 
with  head  waters  near  those  of  Mayfield  creek ; it  flows 
north-west  into  the  southern  part  of  Ballard  county,  and 
abruptly  turns  west  and  south-west  into  the  Mississippi  river 
not  far  above  Hickman.  It  has  comparatively  large  tribu- 
taries on  each  side.  Its  banks  are  steep  and  regular,  and 
the  stream  is  not  very  wide. 

The  Bayou  de  Chien,  the  last  important  stream  of  the 
region,  also  has  its  head  waters  in  the  south  and  central 
part  of  the  Purchase  region,  and  has  a general  westerly 
course  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Its  basin  covers  an  area  of 
165  square  miles.  The  tributaries  are  Cane,  Little  Bayou  de 
Chien,  Big  Mud  and  Snapneck  creeks.  The  creek  enters  the 
Mississippi  about  a mile  above  the  town  of  Hickman,  or  one 
and  a half  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Obion. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  these  two  streams  were  once 
united  a little  westward  from  their  present  mouths,  and 
flowed  southward  near  the  line  of  bluffs  and  independent  of 
the  river,  through  what  are  now  wide  sloughs,  and  through 
Reelfoot  Lake  into  the  Obion  river,  many  miles  south  in 
Tennessee,  and  thence  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Not  more 
than  thirty  years  ago  there  was  a wide  slough  and  bottom 
land  west  of  the  present  town  of  Hickman,  where  now  the 


10 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


river  has  its  most  rapid  current,  and  the  mouths  of  the 
Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien  were  within  300  yards  of  each 
other.  The  Morrow  slough,  in  its  course  through  the  bot- 
tom and  in  the  continuation  of  its  channel  through  the  lake 
and  southward,  resembles  very  much  the  channels  of  the 
creeks. 

Transportation. — The  three  rivers  that  form  the  three 
sides  of  the  Purchase  region  afford  splendid  and  regular 
transportation  facilities  for  the  contiguous  country,  and  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  unless  blocked  with  ice  in  winter. 
The  smaller  streams  in  the  interior  are  not  at  all  navi- 
gable, and,  except  for  logging,  they  play  no  part  in  the 
transportation  problem. 

.'here  are  also  several  railroads  which  run  through  the 
region,  and  afford  to  the  central  and  western  sections  addi- 
tional facilities. 

The  C.,  0.  & S.  W.  R.  R.,  connecting  Paducah  with  Lou- 
isville, runs  south-westward  via  Fulton  to  Memphis,  and 
thence  to  the  great  south-west.  The  Illinois  Central  system, 
reaching  to  Chicago  on  the  north  and  New  Orleans  on  the 
south,  enters  the  region  at  Cairo  and  passes  out  at  Fulton. 
The  M.  and  O.  R.  R.,  reaching  from  Mobile  northward, 
enters  the  State  at  Jordan,  and  runs  to  Cairo ; a branch  of 
two  miles  length,  from  South  Columbus  to  Columbus,  con- 
nects with  the  St.  L.  and  Iron  Mt.  R.  R. 

Hickman  is  connected  with  Nashville  by  the  N.  C.  & 
St.  L.  R.  R.  The  above  roads  cross  each  other  at  different 
Doints  southward  in  Tennessee.  Hack  lines  (daily),  carrying 
^nited  States  mails,  connect  Paducah  with  Benton,  and  on 
.Iternate  days  with  Blandville.  Murray  has  a daily  line  to 
Paris,  Tennessee,  and  on  alternate  days  to  Mayfield.  There 
are  daily  mails  between  Mayfield  and  Columbus  via  Fancy 
Farm,  Milburn  and  Arlington;  also  between  Wickliffe  and 
Blandville.  Merchandise  is  brought  to  Murray  from  the 
Tennessee  river  by  wagons.  The  roads  over  most  of  the 
region  are  in  winter  almost  impassable. 


OF  TiiK  Jackson's  pukchase  ukoion. 


17 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

The  Purcliase  region  occupies  an  interesting  geologic  posi- 
tion almost  at  the  extreme  northern  extension  of  what  was 
once  a bay  or  arm  of  the  ocean,  reaching  northward  from 
the  extreme  south,  and  whose  waters  washed  the  Paleozoic 
shores  on  the  east  and  west.  The  northern  shore  line  of  the 
embayment  extended  across  the  southern  part  of  Illinois, 
beginning  below  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  at  New  Lib- 
erty on  the  east,  and  reaching  south-westward  parallel  with 
the  Ohio  river  and  but  a few  miles  from  it,  until  at  a 
point  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Paducah  it  turned  sharply 
westward  to  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Mississippi,  when  it 
bent  south-west  to  the  river  at  Santa  Fe,  opposite  Com- 
merce on  the  Missouri  shore.  The  Tennessee  river  marks 
what  was  then  the  eastern  side  of  the  embayment,  while  on 
the  west  the  shore  line  was  twenty  or  thirty  miles  beyond 
the  present  position  of  the  Mississippi. 

Within  the  region  the  following  geologic  formations  have 
been  observed.  They  are  given  in  the  order  of  position,  be- 
ginning with  the  most  recent  or  topmost: 

Alluvium  (of  river  and  creek  bottoms). 

Quaternary. 

Brown  loam;  surface  loams  of  uplands. 

Loe^s ; grey  silt  of  Mississippi  bluffs. 

Port  Hudson  (Hilgard’s  Louisiana);  stiff  dark  and 
bluish  clays  with  calcareous  concretions,  under  the 
river  alluvium,  and  overlaid  in  the  Ohio  valley  by 
micaceous  loam. 

Stratified  Drift;  rounded  chert  and  quartz  gravel  in- 
terstratified  with  coarse  sand,  the  whole  more  or  less 
stained  and  cemented  with  iron  oxide. 

Tertiary. 

Lagrange  (of  Salford’s  Tennessee) stiff  plastic  clays, 
variegated  in  color  and  interstratified  with  whitish 
sand,  and  holding  impressions  of  leaves. 

Lignitic;  blackish  arenaceous  clay  and  clay-stone,  with 
leaf  impressions  and  beds  of  lignite  and  lignitic 
peat. 

GEOL.  SUR. — 2 


18 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


Porter's  Greek  (of  Safford’s  Tennessee);  massive  and 
jointed  clays  (locally  called  “soapstone”),  somewhat 
micaceous,  blackish  when  wet,  dark  grey  when  dry. 

Hickman  (provisional,  of  the  Hickman  bluff) ; siliceous 
clay-stone  over  a thick  bed  of  buff-colored  clays. 

Cretaceous. 

Ripley ; black  clay  in  very  thin  laminae,  separated  by 
fine  white  and  highly  micaceous  sand  ; beds  of  sharp 
angular  white  and  yellow  micaceous  sand,  100  feet 
thick. 

SUBCARBONIFEROUS. 

Lov)er  (or  silicious,  of  Safford’s  Tennessee) ; heavy  lime- 
stone beds  intercalated  with  dark  flint  layers. 

Devonian. 

A region  or  belt  of  massive  quartzose  sand  - rocks  has 
been  referred  provisionally  to  this  formation. 

The  above,  beginning  with  the  oldest,  will  be  considered 
separately  in  the  following  pages. 

Nature  of  the  Border. — The  geologic  formations  that 
formed  the  bluffs  around  the  embayment  in  Missouri,  Illi- 
nois and  Kentucky  are  entirely  of  the  Paleozoic,  beginning 
with  the  Calciferous  and  Potsdam  on  the  extreme  west,  and 
terminating  with  the  Subcarboniferous  on  the  east. 

In  Missouri  the  Lower  Silurian  formed  the  ancient  shore 
line,  the  Calciferous  and  Potsdam  being  exposed  from  the 
Arkansas  State  line  north-eastward,  passing  under  the  Tren- 
ton before  reaching  the  river  below  Cape  Girardeau.  The 
dips  have  not  been  ascertained.  In  Illinois  the  Trenton 
rocks  are  exposed  along  the  Mississippi  river  as  far  south 
as  Santa  Fe,  and  are  overlaid  on  the  east  by  a narrow  belt 
of  the  Cincinnati,  which  in  turn  pass  under  a broad  region 
of  the  Upper  Silurian  still  eastward  ; and  reaching  to  Cache 
river  we  find  the  Devonian  quartzite  sandstones  and  shales 
occupying  a belt  some  six  or  eight  miles  in  width,  its 
course  from  the  north  being  turned  south-eastward,  near  the 
old  shore  line,  in  the  direction  of  Caledonia  on  the  Ohio 
river.  The  series  of  the  latter  as  given  in  the  Illinois  Re- 
port (vol.  iii.,  p.  22)  comprise  black  slates  associated  with 


OK  THE  Jackson’s  puuohase  keoion. 


19 


clierty  siliceous  limestone,  which  pass  into  a compact  brittle 
Hint  rock  and  overlie  a white  quartzose  massive  sandstone ; 
beneath  this  are  the  Oriskany  beds  of  cherty  silico- magnesian 
limestone. 

The  Snbcarboniferous  overlies  the  Devonian  to  the  east- 
ward, and  extends  to  the  Ohio  river  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Cumberland,  and  southward  to  New  Liberty.  Its  dips 
are  generally  to  the  northeast ; a belt  of  the  coal  measures 
appears  in  the  northern  part  of  Pope  county. 

In  Kentucky,  the  Paleozoic  south  of  the  Ohio  begins  with 
disturbances  in  the  strata,  producing  a number  of  faults  in 
Livingston  county,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Norwood,  have  a 
strike  varying  N.  30®  to  50°  E.,  and  an  easterly  dip.  The 
St.  Louis  limestone  forms  the  western  wall  of  the  fault, 
while  on  the  eastern  side,  and  forming  the  hanging  wall,  is 
a hard  massive  quartzose  sandstone,  which  Mr.  Norwood 
thinks  is  of  the  Chester,  though  resembling  the  Devonian 
rock  mentioned  above  as  occurring  in  Illinois. 

At  the  distance  of  a mile  south  of  Smithland  another 
sandstone  outcrop,  with  an  exposure  of  about  fifty  feet 
thickness,  forms  a low  and  sharp  ridge  trending  N.  10° 
E.,  the  rock  dipping  to  the  east.  While  the  age  of  this 
latter  sandstone  has  not  been  definitely  ascertained,  there  is 
but  little  doubt  that  it  is  of  the  Devonian  series ; not  only 
because  of  its  strong  lithological  resemblance  to  the  sand- 
stone north  of  Cairo,  but  from  the  fact  that  the  direction  of 
its  strike  places  it  almost  in  the  line  of  disturbance  that 
brought  up  the  Devonian  in  Hardin  county.  111.  The  Grand 
Chain  of  the  Tennessee  river,  located  about  one  mile  below 
Haddock’s  Ferry,  south  of  Smithland,  is  a high  ledge  of 
dark  flinty  rock  strata  fifty  feet  thick,  and  stands  twenty- 
five  feet  above  low  water.  It  reaches  out  for  150  or  more 
yards  from  the  Livingston  county  shore  in  a S.  30°  W. 
course.  The  ledge  is  very  irregularly  bedded,  and  dips  at  a 
high  angle  to  the  south-east.  Some  parts  of  the  flinty  mass 
are  bent  over  to  the  west,  and  in  places  overlap  other  flinty 
layers.  The  rocks  doubtless  belong  to  the  siliceous  or  Lower 
Subcarboniferous,  and  have  been  uptilted  by  the  same  force 
that  brought  up  the  sandstone.  This  appears  to  be  an  east- 


20 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


cily  anticlinal  of  that  apparent  uplift  that  extended  north- 
ward beyond  Sniithland.  A bluff  of  thinly  bedded  sandstone, 
seemingly  of  the  Chester,  crops  out  in  the  north  bluff  of  the 
Tennessee  river  opposite  the  mouth  of  Cyjiress  creek,  below 
the  Grand  Chain. 

Southward,  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Tennessee  river, 
no  extended  observations  have  been  made ; but,  so  far  as 
known,  no  other  formation  than  the  Lower  Subcarbonifer- 
ous  appears  anywhere  until  at  a point  beyond  the  southern 
limit  of  the  Kentucky  Purchase  region,  where  Prof.  Salford 
reports  the  exposure  of  Lower  Silurian  beds  along  the  river. 
The  high  bluffs  opposite  Birmingham,  Marshall  county,  are 
made  of  alternate  layers  of  dark  flint  and  limestone,  the 
former  predominating  towards  the  north,  with  a diji  towards 
the  south. 

Paleozoic  Shelf. — The  eastern  side  of  the  embayment 
shows  evidences  of  there  having  been  two  Paleozoic  shore 
lines,  the  oldest  one  at  the  beginning  of  the  Cretaceous, 
the  other  further  eastward  at  the  beginning  of  the  Quater- 
nary period.  ^ 

From  the  eastern  bluff  of  the  Tennessee  river,  whose  Sub- 
carboniferous  rocks  rise  over  100  feet  above  the  valley,  there 
extends  westward  a broad  shelf  of  siliceous  limestone  at  a 
much  lower  elevation,  and  covered  by  Quaternary  gravel  and 
brown  loam.  The  western  edge  of  this  shelf  must  have  been 
the  original  shore  line  of  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  seas,  for 
upon  it  no  strata  earlier  than  the  Quaternary  have  been 
observed.  This  edge  seems  to  have  been  abruptly  beveled 
off,  for  Cretaceous  sands  and  clays,  appearing  immediately 
w^estward,  have  been  penetrated  to  a depth  of  a hundred 
feet  and  no  older  rocks  reached. 

This  shelf  reaches  from  the  Tennessee  line,  where  its  width 
is  about  a mile,  as  exposed  in  creek  beds,  northward  beyond 
the  Tennessee  river,  into  Livingston  county,  where  it  widens 
to  about  three  miles.  In  southern  Illinois  it  underlies  the 
(Quaternary  beds  westward  to  the  southern  prolongation  of  the 
Devonian  and  Silurian  along  the  Mississijipi  river.  (Illinois 
Reports,  vol.  iii.)  In  Kentucky,  the  Tennessee  river  evidently 
s:^parated  this  narrow  Paleozoic  shelf  from  the  main  land. 


OF  THE  .IACKSON’S  PUUCIIASK  KPXilON. 


21 


cutting  deeply  into  tlie  rocks  in  its  northward  course,  and 
probably  with  the  width  of  the  present  valley.  Tui'uing 
westward  it  found  its  way  to  the  enibayment  basin,  prob- 
ably just  south  of  its  i)resent  bed,  below  what  is  now  a Hat 
valley  region,  for  there  seems  to  be  an  entii’e  absence  of 
limestone  to  quite  a depth  in  tliis  region,  between  the  out- 
croi)s  of  that  rock  on  the  brow  of  the  hills,  one  mile  south 
of  Calvert  City,  aud  that  of  the  flinty,  uplifted  strata  which 
forms  the  so-called  “Chains”  at  and  below  Haddock’s  Ferry 
(a  little  west  of  north  of  the  former),  which  extend  very  far 
out  into  the  river  and  twenty-five  feet  above  low-water.  The 
current  of  the  river  has,  since  then,  worn  away  the  northern 
bank,  confining  itself  to  that  side,  and  allowing  the  depo- 
sition of  Quaternary  Port  Hudson  material  where  once  the 
river  flowed.  The  long  strip  of  Paleozoic  rocks  on  the  west 
of  the  Tennessee  river  had,  therefore,  the  form  of  a pen- 
insula, reaching  from  the  extreme  south  in  the  State  of 
Tennessee  northward  to  Livingston  county. 

The  Chains,  composed  of  such  hard  flinty  masses  and  offer- 
ing such  resistance  to  the  wearing  effects  of  the  flowing 
waters,  do  not  seem  to  have  extended  southward  very  much 
beyond  their  present  limit,  for  otherwise  they  would  have 
formed  an  obstruction  which  would  have  prevented  the  wear- 
ing away  of  the  upper  river  bed,  and  we  would  not  find  at 
the  present  day  so  small  a fall  in  the  river  between  the  Ten- 
nesse  line  and  Paducah. 

The  geologic  formations  whose  outcrops  extended  across 
the  basin  at  the  time  of  its  formation,  were  doubtless  the 
Silurian,  Devonian,  and  Subcarboniferous,  and  perhaps  the 
Carboniferous.  No  outcrop  or  remnants  of  the  Silurian 
divisions  are  visible  between  its  line  of  exposure  along  the 
northern  shore  line  in  Illinois,  east  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
and  that  on  the  south-east  in  the  beds  of  the  Tennessee 
river  just  south  of  the  Tennessee  State  line,  except  those 
occurring  just  east  of  Cache  river,  Illinois,  not  far  from 
Villa  Ridge  Station.  (Illinois  Report,  vol.  i,  page  414.) 
Here  the  so-called  “Clear  Creek  Limestone”  series  of  Up- 
per Silurian  are  exposed.  The  erosion  of  this  central  and 
western  part  of  the  embayment  basin  seems  to  have  been 


22 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


very  energetic,  and  to  have  progressed  deeply ; no  Silurian 
fragments  have  been  observed  in  the  gravel  deposits. 

The  Devonian  belt,  on  the  other  hand,  embraces  a series 
of  harder  rocks,  among  them  the  “Onandaga  Quartzite 
Sandstone”  of  the  Illinois  Report,  which,  seems  to  have 
withstood,  to  some  degree,  the  wearing  effects  of  the  waters, 
for  at  a number  of  points  we  find  large  masses  of  the  rock 
emerging  from  Quaternary  gravels. 

DEVONIAN. 

The  rocks  of  the  Devonian  dip  to  the  north-east,  and  the 
south-east  trend  of  the  belt  in  Illinois,  just  before  reaching 
the  old  shore  line,  would,  if  prolonged  into  the  Purchase 
region,  pass  a few  miles  south  of  Paducah  and  on  into 
Tennessee.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  this  geologic 
formation  was  once  prominent  along  this  line,  even  after  the 
removal  of  the  softer  rocks,  for  there  are  now  massive 
quartzite  sandstones  exposed  at  a number  of  points  be- 
tween Illinois  on  the  north  and  Tennessee  on  the  south- 
east, and  apparently  in  place. 

In  the  Illinois  portion  of  the  basin,  the  exposure  of  the 
sandstone  beneath  the  Tertiary  and  Quaternary  deposits  have 
not  been  largely  observed ; but  in  Kentucky  there  are  a 
number  of  such  exposures,  and  though  there  may  be  some 
doubt  as  to  their  age,  yet  from  their  position  in  the  direct 
line  of  Devonian  outcrop,  and  their  strong  resemblance  to 
the  Onandaga  sandstone,  I have  without  much  hesitation 
referred  them  to  that  formation.  The  rock  is  white,  mas- 
sive and  quartzose,  sometimes  so  friable  as  to  crumble  to 
sand  by  a blow  from  a hammer,  and  at  other  points  ex- 
tremely hard.  No  fossils  have  been  found.  The  locations 
have  not  been  designated  upon  the  map  that  accompanies 
this  report  because  of  this  uncertainty,  and  because  they 
are  mostly  overlaid  by  Quaternary  deposits.  Some  of  the 
rocks  seem  to  be  in  place,  forming  regular  beds  of  unknown 
thicknesses,  while  others  appear  as  immense  fragments  or 
remnants  of  broken-down  strata,  sinking  so  deeply  in  the 
earth  that  it  has  been  impossible  to  ascertain  upon  what 
they  rested.  Some  of  these  fragments  have  been  removed 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  rURCHASE  REGION. 


23 


from  place,  and  lie  buried  in  the  Quaternary  gravel,  their 
edges  and  surfaces  being  greatly  water-worn.  The  most 
northwesterly  exposure  of  these  rocks  occurs  at  Palestine 
Church,  about  three  miles  south  of  Metropolis,  or  seven 
northwest  of  Paducah.  There  are  here  four  large  masses, 
lying  in  a north  and  south  line  from  each  other,  three  of 
them  near  together,  their  surfaces  on  a level  with  the  marshy 
flats  in  which  they  lie.  The  other  lies  in  front  of  the  church, 
and  has  recently  been  dug  up.  Its  surface  is  smooth  and 
rounded. 

Southward  from  this,  at  Massac  P.  0.,  there  are  loose  frag- 
ments of  quartzose  sandstone,  a foot  or  more  in  thickness, 
and  three  or  four  feet  square  on  their  surfaces,  buried  in  the 
gravel  beds.  Their  surfaces  are  worn  smooth,  and  the  edges 
are  rounded,  the  evident  effects  of  transportation  to  westward 
from  the  line  of  Devonian  outcrop,  the  removal  probably 
occurring  at  the  time  of  gravel  deposition.  In  the  ravines 
around  this  place  beds  of  sand  rock  overlie  the  gravel,  and 
have  also  been  struck  in 'the  digging  of  wells,  but  they  are 
of  a different  character  from  those  described. 

Another  locality  along  the  line  of  J;he  Devonian  is  on  the 
place  of  Mrs.  Flournoy,  four  miles  south-west  of  Paducah. 
Here  the  quartzite  appear  in  immense  masses,  and  do  not 
show  signs  of  transportation.  They  lie  along  the  bed  of  a 
small  branch,  and  are  protruding  from  the  ground.  One  of 
the  rocks  has  an  exposed  thickness  of  ten  feet,  its  top 
surface  measuring  twelve  by  twenty  feet.  It  is  massive  in 
structure,  composed  of  fine  and  sharp  grains  of  sand,  in  part 
graduate  into  a hard  quartzite,  and  in  part  so  friable  as 
to  easily  pulverize  beneath  the  blow  of  a hammer.  Other 
masses  are  found  in  the  vicinity  over  an  area  of  25  acres, 
and  always  at  a lower  level  than  the  Quaternary  gravel. 
Wells  sunk  within  300  yards  of  these  exposures  pass  through 
Quaternary  material  and  the  black  clay  of  the  lower  Eocene 
at  depths  of  thirty  feet,  or  ten  feet  lower  than  the  level  of  the 
quartzite. 

Between  Mrs.  Flournoy’s  and  Paducah,  on  the  hills  border- 
ing the  fiat  valley  region,  another  outcrop  of  the  sand  rock 
occurs,  while  within  a mile  of  the  town,  on  the  west,  south- 


24 


GEOLOOICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


west  and  south,  numerous  and  large  isolated  fragments  lie 
embedded  in  the  land,  having  evidently  been  brought  by 
some,  strong  hood.  The  most  interesting  point  of  exposure 
in  this  part  of  the  Purchase,  however,  occurs  south  and 
south-west  of  Paducah,  over  a distance  of  several  miles, 
lying  nearly  east  and  west.  The  most  easterly  outcrop  is 
on  the  place  of  Mr.  Byers,  a little  to  the  west  of  the  May- 
held  and  Paducah  road,  on  Island  creek.  The  eastern, 
north-eastern  and  southern  sides  of  the  hill  are  here  covered 
with  large  masses  of  the  quartzite,  to  an  elevation  of  seven- 
ty-hve  feet,  and  the  rock  also  forms  in  part  the  bed  of  the 
branch.  It  has  all  the  characteristics  of  the  Devonian  sand- 
stones described  above,  though  seemingly  entirely  free  from 
fossils.  The  rocks  in  the  branch  lie  in  close  proximity  lo 
layers  of  soft  micaceous  sandstone,  well  charged  with  Eocene 
fossil  casts,  and  standing  almost  vertically,  about  hfty  feet 
thick,  and  with  a strike  nearly  north  and  south.  The 
quartzites  are  overlaid  by  twenty  feet  of  Quaternary  gravel 
and  loam.  A well  on  the  south-west,  about  100  yards  dis- 
tant, dug  to  a depth  of  lifty  feet,  struck  the  blue  Eocene 
Tertiary  clay  at  twenty  feet. 

Westward  from  this  point  the  quartzite  is  again  found  on 
the  place  of  Mr.  Smith,  one  mile  distant.  It  here  is  also 
exposed  in  several  i)laces  in  the  banks  of  the  branch,  and 
below  about  twenty  feet  of  loam  and  gravel.  The  rocks  are 
massive  and  broad,  having  an  exposed  depth  of  several  feet ; 
one  rock  has  an  apparent  dip  of  20®  S.  30°  W.,  but  this 
may  be  merely  local.  All  have  their  surfaces  more  or  less  • 
stained  with  iron.  Still  south-westward,  about  a mile,  the 
rock  is  again  exposed  in  the  bed  of  another  branch,  form- 
ing an  almost  solid  ledge  of  fifty  feet  or  more  of  exposed 
length,  and  with  an  undetermined  thickness. 

The  above  are  the  chief  exposures  of  the  sand  rock  in  this 
part  of  the  Purchase  region,  though  small  fragments  were 
picked  up  two  miles  south  of  Hard  Money,  in  Graves  county 
In  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  region  the  quartzose  sand 
rock  is  most  largely  developed,  especially  around  Murray  and 
in  the  hills  bordering  the  Tennessee  Valley  west  of  Buffalo 
Landing. 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  purciiask  region.  25 

/ 

The  Murray  exi)osures  are  in  and  near  tlie  road  north  of 
tlie  town,  in  tlie  woods  a mile  south-west,  and  on  the  brow 
of  the  hills  facing  Clark’s  river  to  the  right  of  the  road 
south  of  town.  The  rocks  in  the  two  latter  localities  are 
very  large,  and  do  not  show  evidences  of  trans})ortation. 
Some  of  them  outcrop  but  little  below  the  surface  of  the 
uplands,  and  others  lie  as  much  as  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
lower ; their  upper  surfaces  are,  in  some  instances,  much 
abraded  and  worn,  but  their  edges  are  sharp  ; they  vary  in 
size  from  ten  to  as  much  as  300  square  feet  on  the  upper 
surface,  or  with  an  area  of  twenty  by  fifteen  feet  and  sev- 
eral feet  in  height.  These  outcrops  are  many  feet  above 
those  near  Paducah.  Black  Tertiary  Joint  clays  (“soap- 
stone”) form  the  bed  of  the  river  here,  and  are  exposed  in 
the  bluffs  of  streams  north  of  town. 

East  of  Murray  quartzite  sandstones  again  appear  over  a 
large  area,  in  broken  or  isolated  masses,  a mile  or  more 
north  of  the  Buffalo  and  Concord  road,  and  three  miles 
west  of  the  river,  or  some  six  miles  north  of  the  Tennessee 
State  line.  Some  of  the  lower  rocks  at  the  base  of  the  hill 
seem  to  be  in  place,  and  are  about  fifty  feet  below  the 
upper  exposures.  They  are  all  massive,  and  their  upper 
part  is  surrounded  by  gravel  and  loam,  which  .also  covers 
them  to  a depth  of  thirty  to  forty  feet.  The  base  of  the 
* gravel  bed  is  more  or  less  cemented  with  iron  oxide,  por- 
tions of  the  conglomerate  being  occasionally  found  attached 
to  the  quartzites.  In  one  instance  the  cementing  material 
had  penetrated  the  sandstone  for  several  inches  in  a band 
two  inches  thick,  coloring  it  at  first  black,  and  hardening  the 
mass  for  half  an  inch,  when  it  graduates  into  the  lighter 
grey  of  the  rock.  This  color  line  is  regular  and  horizontal, 
and  is  seen  upon  the  sides  of  a number  of  the  rocks. 

Another  outcrop  of  the  same  quartzite  occurs  a mile  or 
more  northwest  of  this  group ; its  elevation  is  above  the  beds 
of  Subcarboniferous  limestone  that  outcrop  along  the  base 
of  the  hills  bordering  the  river  valley,  and  would  indicate  a 
Chester  horizon  for  the  quartzites  of  this  region.  This  is  fur- 
ther strengthened  by  the  southerly  dip  of  the  Lower  Subcar- 
boniferous limestones  and  flint  beds  opposite  Birmingham, 


26 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATCKES 


wliicli  would  bring  the  Chester  beds  down  to  the  general  level 
of  the  country.  But  the  rocks  are  much  whiter  and  far  more 
quartzose  than  the  Chester  beds  that  cap  the  hills  in  Living- 
ston county,  or  that  appear  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State ; 
then,  again,  although  the  southerly  dipping  Subcarbonifer- 
ous  limestones  form  so  high  and  prominent  bluffs  along  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  at  Birmingham,  we  find,  a few  miles  to 
westward  on  the  sides  of  the  hills  along  the  west  border  of 
Little  Bear  creek,  a large  outcrop  of  these  quartzites  at  a 
much  lower  elevation  than  the  limestones.  It  is,  therefore, 
most  reasonable  to  conclude  that  one  of  the  faults  observed 
by  Mr.  Norwood  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  extended 
far  southward  through  this  region,  and  that  the  quartzites 
east  of  Murray  and  those  of  Little  Bear  creek  and  Cumber- 
land river  were  all  brought  up  by  that  disturbance  and  are  of 
probable  Devonian  age.  The  Murray  exposures  are  separated 
from  them  by  a broad  trough,  whose  depth  below  the  sand 
rocks  is  at  least  200  feet,  now  filled  in  with  Cretaceous  and 
Quaternary  material. 

SUBCARBONIFEROUS. 

This  formation,  which  borders  the  embayment  in  Illinois 
also,  is  exposed  beneath  the  Quaternary  along  a number  of 
streams  in  a narrow  belt  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tennessee 
river.  A notable  outcrop  occurs  in  the  bed  of  the  Ohio  river, 
on  the  Illinois  shore,  forming  what  is  known  as  the  Grand 
Chain.  The  exposure  here  embraces  layers  of  siliceous  lime- 
stone, holding  dark  flinty  masses.  The  fossils  observed  were 
crinoid  stems,  Spirifer  Linneatus,  etc.  The  beds  belong  to 
the  Lower  Subcarboniferous,  and  are  exposed  along  the  river 
bank  in  low  water  seasons  for  a distance  of  about  a mile. 
The  limestone  is  overlaid  by  alluvium,  and  in  the  bluffs  of 
the  river  by  masses  of  white  decomposing  chert  and  white 
siliceous  earth,  with  a vertical  exposure  of  ten  feet.  There 
are  a number  of  these  chert  outcrops,  the  first  appearing 
about  fifty  yards  up  the  river  from  the  limestone,  each  out- 
crop having  a length  of  about  1('*0  feet,  rounded  off  at  the  ends 
and  separated  from  each  other  for  a distance  of  seventy-five  or 
one  hundred  yards  by  later  or  Quaternary  deposits. 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


27 


The  cliert  pieces  are  sliarply  angular  and  large,  tlieir  sur- 
faces frequently  half  decomposed  into  the  white  siliceous 
earth.  The  beds  are,  in  places,  cemented  almost  into  a con- 
glomerate. They  are  very  similar  to  the  siliceous  beds  oc- 
curring a few  miles  west  of  Birmingham,  in  Marshall  county, 
and  at  Brandon’s  Mill,  in  Calloway  county.  Quaternary 
gravel  of  the  stratified  drift  overlies  the  chert,  and  is  in 
turn  covered  by  the  brown  loam.  The  bluffs  of  the  Illinois 
shore  of  the  Ohio  show  no  other  exposure  of  rocks  older 
than  the  Tertiary  until  above  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee 
river.  The  Little  Chain  below  Joppa  is  formed  by  masses  of 
Quaternary  pebble  conglomerate  lying  in  the  bed  of  the  river. 

There  are  no  bluffs  on  the  Kentucky  shore  of  the  Ohio ; 
the  low  flats  come  to  the  river  and  show  only  later  Quater- 
nary deposits  from  Cairo  eastward  until  the  Cretaceous  clays 
appear  at  Paducah ; passing  thence  up  the  Tennessee  river, 
the  first  outcrops  of  Paleozoic  rocks  are  reached  at  Bar- 
ber’s Landing,  where  a bluff  of  sandstone,  probably  of  the 
Chester  series,  appears  on  the  Livingston  county  shore,  and 
is  said  to  be  in  the  bed  of  the  river  nearly  across  to  the 
southern  shore.  It  is  exposed  for  fifty  yards  along  the  river 
and  for  forty  feet  in  height,  the  whole  capped  by  ten  feet  of 
Quaternary  gravel  in  large  pieces,  the  lower  portion  in  places 
cemented  wdth  iron  oxide  and  accompanied  by  some  thin 
sheets  of  hematite.  The  sandstone  is  softer  than  the  quartz- 
ite of  the  Paducah  region. 

The  extreme  u]jper  rock  is  about  twenty  feet  long,  its  surface 
very  smooth,  and  its  upper  edges  highly  rounded  for  eight 
inches  by  the  action  of  flowing  water,  probably  during 
the  Quaternary  period,  at  which  time  the  gravel  was  also 
left  upon  it.  The  upper  ledges  of  the  sandstone  are  thick 
and  massive ; those  below  are  thin-bedded,  more  broken,  and 
contain  in  places  much  pyritous  nuclei!,  which,  on  weath- 
ering, decompose  into  yellow  and  red  ferruginous  spots. 
There  are,  also,  numerous  small  impressions  of  what  appear 
to  be  calamites.  The  rocks  very  generally  dip  towards  the 
north-east.  In  the  edge  of  the  water  a mass  of  the  rock  ten 
feet  thick  and  fifty  feet  long  lies  on  edge,  dipping  nearly 
east.  How  far  below  the  water  it  reaches,  or  whether  other 


28 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  river  have  the  same  feature,  could 
not  be  ascertained. 

On  the  opposite  or  southern  side  of  the  river,  the  valley 
shows  no  outcrop  of  the  sand  rock,  the  Quaternary  deeply 
covering  every  thing. 

Going  up  the  river,  and  passing  the  massive  and  long 

out-crops  of  uptilted  Subcarboniferous  hint  rock,  dipping 
southeasterly  and  forming  the  Tennessee  Grand  Chain  de- 
scribed above,  we  find,  just  above  Haddock’s  Ferry,  other 
masses  of  dark  flinty  material  forming  another  small  shoal ; 
it  outcrops  on  the  southern  shore  above  low-water  at  the 
ferry  itself.  Limestone  ledges,  similar  to  those  of  the  Grand 
Chain  of  the  Ohio  river,  are  exposed  in  the  small  streams 
eastward  of  the  ferry  on  the  northern  shore.  From  this 

point  southward  the  Subcarboniferous  rocks  are  found  along 
the  beds  of  streams  or  on  their  bordering  hill-sides,  and  gen- 
erally at  a much  lower  elevation  than  the  summits  of  the 
rock  strata  east  of  the  Tennessee  river,  thus  forming  a kind 
of  shelf  around  the  embayment  basin ; its  western  edge 
being  the  old  Cretaceous  shore  line,  as  mentioned  on  a pre- 
vious page. 

The  most  northerly  outcrops  of  the  limestone  in  Marshall 
county  occur  in  the  bed  of  a branch  one  mile  east  of  Cal- 
vert City,  and  a short  distance  south  of  the  railroad,  at 

about  twenty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  valley.  Again,  east 

from  this,  it  is  exposed  on  the  northern  brow  of  the  uplands 
bordering  the  valley  one  mile  south-west  of  Gilbertsville 
at  a point  called  “Limestone  Hill.”  The  rock  is  associated 
wfith  some  flinty  layers,  and  is  covered  by  a heavy  Quater- 
nary deposit. 

Southward,  along  the  base  of  the  hills  facing  the  val- 
ley of  the  Tennessee,  there  are  only  chert  and  flint  debris 
in  small  quantities,  until  beyond  the  junction  of  the  two 
Bear  creeks,  where  we  find  the  hill-sides  along  Little  Bear 
covered  with  masses  of  this  debris  to  a height  of  seventy- 
five  feet  above  the  creeks.  No  limestone  has  been  found, 
though  lime-sinks  are  abundant  two  miles  to  westward.  The 
chert  is  sharp  and  cellular,  and,  immediately  south  of  these 
sinks,  occurs  in  large  fragments,  covering  the  hill-sides  almost 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puuciiase  region.  '2d 

to  tlieir  very  tops,  and  witli  very  little  overlying  Quaternary 
loam.  Southward  the  clierty  material  disappears  in  the  bed 
of  Little  Bear  creek,  before  reaching  the  road  leading  from 
Birmingham  to  Palma. 

Four  miles  west  of  Birmingham,  at  Mrs.  Stone’s,  on  the 
head  waters  of  Buckhorn  creek,  is  exposed  the  white 
siliceous  eartli  from  decayed  chert,  similar  to  that  at  tlie 
Grand  Chain  of  the  Ohio,  and  also  to  that  at  Brandon’s 
mill,  east  of  Murray,  in  Calloway  county.  It  is  also  found 
near  Birmingham,  but  overlaid,  as  usual,  by  heavy  Quater- 
nary material.  The  outcrop  at  Mrs.  Stone’s  is  the  most 
westerly  appearance  of  the  Subcarboniferous  in  this  part  of 
the  Purchase  region. 

Limestone  appears  in  ledges  along  the  base  of  the  hills 
west  of  Birmingham,  or  just  south  of  the  Benton  road, 
and  extends  for  one-half  mile  south.  Limekilns  have  been 
erected  here.  The  rock  has  been  reported  also  to  occur  in 
the  deep  gullies  a little  westward. 

These  cherty  strata  seem  to  be  the  lowest  of  the  Lower 
Subcarboniferous,  their  position  being  either  under  the  Wa- 
verly  or  forming  a part  of  it.  The  southerly  dip  that 
belongs  to  the  beds  in  the  hills  opposite  Birmingham  has 
not  been  observed  in  the  more  westerly  outcrops,  though  it 
doubtless  exists,  for  on  going  south,  the  cherty  masses  are 
not  very  prominent  along  the  hills  bordering  the  vdlley,  until 
near  the  Calloway  county  line,  where  they  again  appear, 
forming  possibly  the  south  side  of  a synclinal  basin.  These 
masses  continue  southward  beyond  Blood  river,  followed  by 
the  appearance  of  still  lower  limestone  beds  in  the  south- 
ern portion  of  Calloway  county,  and  finally  by  the  Silu- 
rian uplift,  just  beyond  the  State  line  in  Tennessee.  In 
the  southern  part  of  Marshall  county  the  hills  bordering  the 
valley  at  Aurora,  and  also  on  Jonathan  creek  at  the  crossing 
of  the  road  leading  to  Fairdealing,  are  quite  cherty,  the 
flinty  layers  also  appearing  in  the  bed  of  the  branches  of 
Clear  creek  on  the  Olive  road.  These  are  the  most  westerly 
outcrops  of  the  formation ; no  limestone  could  be  found. 
Southward  to  Blood  river,  in  Calloway  county,  the  hill-sides 
that  face  the  river  valley  are  covered  with  the  cherty  masses 


30 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


to  elevations  of  one  hundred  feet,  the  extreme  summits  of  the 
hills  being  capped  with  Quaternary  drift  and  loam.  To  west- 
ward the  exposures  are  lower  in  elevation,  appearing  only  in 
beds  of  streams.  South-west  from  Highland  the  last  outcrop 
of  the  formation  is  at  the  first  crossing  of  Ledbetter  creek, 
on  the  road  to  Shiloh.  At  other  crossings  westward  in  the 
same  valley  no  exposures  occur. 

This  western  shore  line,  on  approaching  Blood  river  in  its 
southerly  extension,  bends  to  the  westward,  and  its  sharp 
chert  appears  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  facing  Little  Sugar 
Tree  creek  at  the  crossing  of  the  Newburg  and  Murray  roads, 
and  ten  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  creek,  or  fort}^  above  the 
valley  of  the  Tennessee.  Thence  to  Newburg  the  chert  beds 
are  exposed  on  the  hill-sides,  and  near  the  river  are  as  high 
as  seventy-five  feet  above  the  valley — a rise  eastward  of  thirty 
feet  in  about  three  miles.  On  the  north  side  of  Wild  Cat 
creek,  about  three  miles  due  south  of  the  Little  Sugar  Tree 
exposure,  and  a little  more  than  a mile  west  of  Blood  river, 
the  hills  are  covered,  for  thirty-five  feet  from  their  base,  with 
the  chert  fragments  overlaid  by  Quaternary  gravel,  con- 
glomerate and  loam.  To  westward  the  chert  suddenly  dis- 
appears, giving  place  to  Cretaceous  sands. 

No  other  Subcarboniferous  chert  exposures  have  been  seen 
on  the  east  of  Blood  river,  this  shore  line  bending  from 
Wild  Cat  creek  very  sharply  nearly  eastward,  passing  a mile 
south  of  Brandon’s  mill  in  a south  of  east  course  to  the 
small  tributaries  of  the  Tennessee  river,  in  whose  beds  the 
chert  appears  at  a distance  of  from  two  to  three  miles  from  the 
river.  The  chert  masses  reach  almost  to  the  tops  of  the  hills 
that  face  Blood  river,  and  cover  their  sides  southward  to 
Pine  Bluff.  The  top  of  the  exposure  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  above  the  valley  at  Pine  Bluff.  White  siliceous  earth 
from  decomposing  chert  occurs  in  a number  of  places,  sepa- 
rating the  layers  and  inclosing  half  decomposed  pieces.  These 
Blood  river  hills  are  very  broken  and  rough.  Southward, 
along  the  hills  facing  the  river  to  Buffalo  Landing,  the  chert 
is  seen  on  the  hill-sides  from  the  base  to  elevations  of  fifty 
feet,  but  westward  it  is  only  seen  along  the  beds  of  the 
small  streams,  and  associated  with  the  whitish  siliceous 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  purctiask  region. 


31 


earth.  Thence  to  the  Tennessee  State  line  limestone  beds 
appear  at  the  base  of  the  hills,  outcropping  twenty  feet  at 
Mr.  Edward  Brown’s  on  Shannon  creek,  and  at  other  places 
to  the  site  of  old  Fort  Hindman,  within  a short  distance  of 
the  river,  where  the  exposure  is  nearly  one  hundred  feet  in 
height. 

The  limestone  at  Mr.  Brown’s  is  tine  grained  and  quite 
free  from  fossils  or  siliceous  matter,  while  at  Fort  Hindman 
there  are  intercalated  bands  and  inclosures  of  dark  flinty 
masses,  with  geodes  and  Subcarboniferous  fossils.  There  is 
much  shale  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  bluff.  Above  the 
limestone  are  twenty  feet  of  chert  and  loam,  the  Quater- 
nary gravel  appearing  on  the  higher  hills  back  from  this. 
The  fort  is  just  north  of  the  mouth  of  Cypress  creek,  along 
whose  bed  the  limestone  is  exposed  to  a half  mile  beyond 
the  crossing  of  the  Murray  and  Paris  road.  It  is  here  over- 
laid by  a little  loose  chert.  Westward  from  Brown’s  the 
limestone  outcrops  in  the  bed  of  Shannon  creek,  a mile 
beyond  the  old  iron  furnace. 

There  is  a gradual  rise  in  this  strip  or  peninsula  of  the 
Subcarboniferous,  from  its  exposure  near  Calvert  City  south 
of  the  Tennessee  State  line,  and  the  rocks  have  been  abruptly 
beveled  off  on  the  west  by  either  a faulting  and  sinking  of 
the  region,  or  from  the  wearing  away  of  strata  by  the  great 
currents  of  the  four  great  rivers — Tennessee,  Ohio,  Cumber- 
land, and  Mississippi — that  rushed  through  this  region  as  a 
gateway  from  the  immense  denudation  of  the  country  east, 
north  and  north-west. 

The. form  of  the  embayment,  however,  would  seem  to  pre- 
clude the  latter  supposition,  for  the  basin  reached  northward 
beyond  the  mouths  of  the  three  first  named  rivers,  with  a 
long,  narrow  neck  separating  it  from  the  Ohio,  while  its  ex- 
tension eastward  from  the  (then)  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
placed  that  portion  out  of  the  reach  of  these  currents. 

To  what  depth  this  beveled  edge  reaches  is  uncertain,  but 
certainly  for  a hundred  feet,  for  wells  sunk  to  that  depth 
within  a short  distance  from  it  did  not  reach  the  bottom  of 
the  Cretaceous. 

Carboniferous  rocks  appear  to  be  entirely  absent  from  the 
Purchase  and  adjoining  territory. 


32 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


CRETACEOUS. 

The  long  belt  of  Cretaceous  clays  and  sands,  that  ex- 
tends westwardly  from  Flint  river  (west  of  Macon,  Georgia) 
across  Alabama,  and  turns  north-westward  through  north-west 
Alabama  and  north-east  Mississippi,  and  northward  through 
Tennessee,  reaches  the  Kentucky  State  line  in  a belt  of  about 
ten  miles  in  width ; thence  it  borders  the  Subcarboniferous 
region,  with  about  the  same  width  northward  through  Callo- 
way and  Marshall  counties,  bending  north-westward  in  the 
latter  county  into  McCracken  county,  and  across  the  Ohio 
river  into  Illinois.  At  no  i^oint  in  the  State  has  the  for- 
mation been  found  directly  covering  the  Subcarboniferous 
shelf ; but,  on  the  contrary,  it  does  not  rise  quite  as  high  as 
the  old  shore  line,  and  abuts  against  it,  the  Quaternary'  drift 
and  loam  covering  both  formations. 

The  four  divisions  in  Mississippi  designated  by  Prof.  Hil- 
gard  as  Eutaw,  Tombigbee  Sand,  Rotten  Limestone,  and 
Ripley,  successively  disappear  from  the  belt  in  its  course 
northward  through  Tennessee,  the  last  or  highest  in  the 
series  alone  reacliing  the  Kentucky  State  line. 

In  lithological  features  the  Kentucky  beds  can  scarcely  be 
distinguished  from  the  oldest  of  the  above  Cretaceous  series 
(Eutaw),  and  had  the  belt  not  been  traced  across  Tennessee, 
and  its  distinct  separation  from  the  latter  been  clearly  re- 
marked by  Prof.  Salford,  I would  have  referred  these  beds 
to  the  lowest  instead  of  the  uppermost  group,  chiefly  because 
of  the  entire  absence  of  fossils,  which  so  strongly  mark  the 
Ripley  beds  in  Mississippi  and  southern  Tennessee. 

The  formation  in  Tennessee  is  supposed  to  be  not  less 
than  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  feet  in  thickness.  “It  is 
mostly  made  up  of  stratified  sands ; occasionally  an  inter- 
stratified  bed  of  dark  slaty  clay,  ten  to  thirty  feet  thick,  is 
met  with,  but  more  frequently  a sandy  bed  laminated  with 
clayey  leaves.”  (Report  of  Tennessee,  page  418.) 

In  Kentucky  the  same  features  characterize  the  Cretaceous 
formation,  but  the  beds  are  separable  into  the  two  distinct 
divisions  of  sand  beds  and  finely  laminated  micaceous  clays; 
the  first  occurring  chiefly  in  the  southern,  and  the  last  in 
the  northern  portion  of  the  belt,  both  hidden  by  Quaternary 


OK  THE  Jackson’s  i*uuciiase  ueoion. 


33 


material,  and  only  exposed  in  the  hill-sides  and  in  the  beds 
of  the  streams. 

Sand  Beds. — These  exposures  are  more  general  toward  the 
south  of  Callov/ay  count}^  where  Beechy  creek  and  Blood 
river  and  their  tributaries  have  easily  carved  out  for  them- 
selves deep  and  broad  valleys,  which  are  still  in  places 
quite  sandy.  These  sand  beds  are  well  exposed  in  a deep 
mvine  at  the  cross-roads  two  miles  east  of  New  Concord,  on 
the  road  to  Buffalo  Landing.  The  sand  is  partly  white,  and 
in  part  colored  yellow  with  iron  oxide,  and  is  very  highly 
micaceous.  The  grains  are  very  sharp,  and  their  quickly 
polishing  power  on  silver  coins  has  given  rise  to  the  belief 
with  some  persons  living  near,  that  it  contains  mercury. 

There  are  other  exposures  of  the  sand  beds  southward  in 
the  same  valley.  The  whole  is  capped  on  the  side  of  the 
hill  with  the  thinly  laminated  clay  beds,  which  dip  N.  10  E. 
at  a small  angle.  The  thickness  of  the  beds  is  not  known, 
but  must  be  one  hundred  feet  at  least.  A well  on  the  place 
of  Mr.  McChristian,  in  the  valley  of  one  of  the  Beechy  forks, 
and  but  a little  west  of  the  edge  of  the  Subcarboniferous,  was 
dug  sixty-five  feet  in  the  micaceous  sand,  at  which  depth 
water  was  obtained,  but  the  bottom  of  the  sand  not  reached. 

The  abundant  fiow  of  water  indicates  that  an  impervious 
stratum  of  probably  Subcarboniferous  limestone  or  of  chert 
layers,  is  not  far  below. 

The  formation  extends  west  of  Blood  river,  exposed  along 
the  streams,  though  often  hidden  by  debris  from  the  hills. 
The  bottom  lands  of  McCulloch  creek,  on  the  State  line, 
are  generall3^  covered  with  deep  white  sands  derived  from 
the  Cretaceous,  while  in  a well  on  Mr.  Witherspoon’s  place, 
located  on  the  hills  above  the  creek,  the  white,  sharp  and 
micaceous  sands  were  struck  at  about  twenty  feet,  and  pen- 
etrated fifty-four  feet  before  water  was  found.  White  pipe 
clay  overlies  the  sand  in  a bed  about  two  feet  thick.  Over 
this  are  eighteen  feet  of  Quaternary  material.  Tertiary  clay 
occurs  a mile  or  more  north  of  this. 

Micaceous  Clay. — Northward  the  exposures  are  not  deep, 
and  are  mostly  of  the  dark  sand}^  micaceous  clays  that  ac- 

GEOL.  SUR. — 3 


34 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


company  the  Cretaceous  formation  in  Tennessee.  The  beds 
are,  however,  not  very  marked,  and  it  is  often  difficult  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  lignitic  Tertiary  clays  that  over- 
lie  them  to  westward.  The  entire  absence  of  fossils  from 
the  Cretaceous  in  Kentucky,  and  their  occurrence  in  but  one 
locality  in  the  Tertiary  of  the  State,  makes  the  determina- 
tion of  the  age  of  any  strata  dependent  entirely  upon  lith- 
ological resemblances  and  continuities. 

The  relation  between  the  laminated  blue  clay  and  the  sand 
beds  is  well  seen  at  what  is  locally  known  as  the  “sand 
hill”  on  the  north  edge  of  the  bottoms  of  Clark’s  river,  two 
miles  north  of  Benton.  The  hill  is  covered  with  masses  of 
Quaternary  gravel  and  gravel  conglomerate,  while,  at  its  base 
by  the  roadside,  is  exposed  beneath  the  gravel  the  following : 


1.  Light  blue,  plastic  and  micaceous  clay 

2.  Blue  micaceous  clay  in  thin  lamina?,  which  are  separated  by  very 

fine  and  white  micaceous  sand 

3.  Irregular  bed  of  iron-stone,  in  places  concretionary  and  rounded  . 

4.  White  micaceous  sand,  colored  yellow  to  red  in  upper  two  feet 

— in  thin  layers,  and  separated  by  thin  leaves  of  stiff',  plastic 
greyish  clays — all  dipping  at  slight  angle  S.  70  E.  This  is 
exposed  five  feet,  and  is  covered  at  a lower  level  by  fifteen 
feet  of  debris  to  the  bottom  lands 


2 to  4 feet. 

5 feet. 

1 to  2 inches. 


20  feet. 


In  the  sand  bed  are  a few  concretionary  nodules  of  fer- 
ruginous sandstone,  similar  to  those  in  the  Cretaceous  beds 
in  McChristian’s  well,  mentioned  above.  In  a well  in  the 
town  of  Benton  the  thinly^  laminated  and  micaceous  clays 
were  penetrated  at  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  the  surface. 

Tertiary  black  clays  are  found  to  westward  from  Benton, 
while  northward  from  town  the  sandy  micaceous  clay  beds 
of  the  Cretaceous  occur  in  the  hill  strata  and  in  the  banks 
of  some  creeks.  At  Dishman’s  old  mill,  on  the  edge  of  the 
bottoms  of  Clark’s  river,  just  south  of  Oakland  P.  O.,  the 
clays  were  reached  at  a short  depth  below  the  surface,  and 
are  highly  pyritous. 

An  interesting  locality  is  in  the  bottoms  of  Cypress  creek, 
just  north  of  the  railroad  tank,  near  Cypress  P.  O.  There 
IS  here  a small  area  of  land  higher  than  the  surrounding 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  FUKCIIASE  UKOION. 


:r> 

bottoms,  in  the  bluffs  of  which  is  exposed  the  following 
section : 


1.  Yellow  loam . . . 

2.  Coarse  gravel 

3.  Iron-stone  layer 

4.  Angular  white  sandstone  in  thin  layers  separated  by  shaly  clay  . . . . 

5.  Shale,  white  and  yellow 

6.  Thinly  laminated  micaceous  black  clay  with  laminated  line  micaceous 

sand  to  water’s  edge 


4 feet. 

3 feet. 

2 inches. 
2 feet. 

2 feet. 

8 feet. 


This  is  an  isolated  point,  and  the  ends  of  the  outcrop  have 
been  rounded  off,  evidently  before  the  Quaternary,  as  the 
material  of  that  formation,  the  gravel  and  loam,  are  bedded 
on  it. 

SECTION  NORTH  OF  LITTLE  CYPRESS  P.  O. 


1.  Brown  loam.  2.  Gravel  bed.  3.  Ferruginous  sandstone  layer.  4.  Mica- 
ceous sandstone  with  clay  seams.  5.  Micaceous  and  sandy  black  clay. 

The  currents  that  flowed  across  this  region,  carving  out 
the  fiats  or  valley  of  the  river,  seem  to  have  failed  to  en- 
tirely remove  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  beds,  and  we 
here  find  what  was  then  an  island,  having  a base  of  Creta- 
ceous clay  and  a capping  of  what  is  apparently  a Tertiary 
sandstone.  Then  came  the  Quaternary  era,  in  which  the 
gravel,  and  finally  the  loam,  was  superimposed  upon  these 
beds.  On  the  opposite  side  of  this  isolated  bluff,  and  at  its 
foot,  is  a ledge  of  the  sandstone  dipping  north-west,  which 
has  evidently  been  undermined  and  fallen  in.  To  eastward 
of  it,  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  is  a miniature  anticlinal  of  the 
same  rock.  One  of  the  large  masses  incloses  round  lumps 
of  black  clay,  probably  of  the  Tertiary  formation. 

On  Clark’s  river  the  Cretaceous  clays  have  been  penetrated 
in  borings  near  what  is  known  as  “the  old  fish  trap,”  a few 
miles  from  Paducah,  and  are  also  exposed  in  the  banks  three 
miles  above  the  crossing  of  the  railroad.  They  again  appear 


36 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


in  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  at  Paducah,  the  tunnel  for  the 
water- works  having  been  excavated  in  them.  This  is  prol)- 
ably  very  near  the  western  limit  of  the  formation,  as  on 
the  south  and  west  the  heavy  Tertiary  clays  are  found.  In 
the  well  of  the  water-works  the  Cretaceous  is  overlaid  by 
forty- three  feet  of  Quaternary  gravel  and  loam 

In  Illinois,  the  sandy  shaly  clays  and  micaceous  sands, 
occurring  in  the  county  of  Massac  (Illinois  Geological  Survey, 
vol.  i,  pages  447-451),  are  undoubtedly  a continuation  of  the 
Cretaceous  beds  of  Kentucky.  The  “white  micaceous  shaly 
sand,”  so  frequently  mentioned,  is  especially  characteristic 
of  the  formation  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  It  forms  a 
narrow  belt  north-westward  from  Paducah,  its  beds  exposed 
in  the  banks  of  streams  and  in  wells  off  from  the  Ohio  river ; 
also  in  the  hills  that  border  the  river  just  west  of  the  Pulaski 
county  line  (page  447),  and  thence  westward. 

The  course  of  the  Ohio,  after  entering  the  embayment  re- 
gion, has  evidently  been  largely  influenced  by  the  material 
of  this  formation.  Cutting  its  way  south-westward  through 
the  Quaternary  material,  it  reaches  the  Cretaceous  above 
Paducah,  and  thence  cutting  through  that  formation  to  the 
heavy  plastic  clay  just  south-west  of  Paducah,  its  course  is 
immediately  turned  north-westward  through  the  easily  yield- 
ing sands  of  the  Cretaceous,  until  again  it  is  thrown  south- 
westward  by  the  Subcarboniferous  barrier  at  the  Grand  Chain, 
and  enters  the  Tertiary. 

TERTIARY. 

This  formation  reaches  from  the  Cretaceous  belt,  just  out- 
lined, westward  to  the  Mississippi  river,  being  exposed  in 
many  of  the  beds  and  banks  of  streams  and  in  the  bluffs 
adjoining  them,  where  the  hill-side  debris  has  been  removed. 
Quaternary  material  covers  the  formation  upon  the  hills  to 
a depth  of  from  ten  to  twenty  feet. 

There  is  a little  fall  in  the  surface  of  the  Tertiary  beds 
from  the  eastern  border  westward  to  the  bluffs  of  the  Missis- 
siiipi  at  Wickliffe,  Columbus  and  Hickman,  while  along  the 
Tennessee  State  line  they  are  nearly  one  hundred  feet  higher 
than  those  occurring  northward  in  the  hills  south  of  Padu- 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  FURCIIASK  KKOION. 


37 


call ; the  din’erence  between  the  outcrops  nfear  Murray  and 
that  of  the  same  belt  of  black  clay  in  the  hills  south-west 
of  Paducah  being  about  ninety  feet.  The  oidy  jierceptible 
dips  occur  in  the  Mississippi  river  outcrops,  where  alternat- 
ing beds  of  white  sand  and  clay  are  inclined  to  the  north- 
east and  east. 

The  divisions  of  the  Tertiary  represented  in  Kentucky  are 
of  the  lowest  of  the  formation,  viz:  the  Lower  Eocene  or 
the  northern  lignitic  of  Hilgard’s  Mississippi  report,  and  the 
Porter’s  creek  and  bluff  lignite  of  Salford’s  Tennessee  rejiort, 
together  with  the  Lagrange  or  extreme  upper  group  of  clays 
and  sands  which  have  been,  by  Prof.  Safford,  placed  as  a Ter- 
tiary division,  though  having  strong  Quaternary  features. 

While  the  lignitic  of  Mississippi  is  the  oldest  of  the 
formations  thus  far  observed,  there  is  in  Kentucky  a Series 
of  beds  that  seem  to  underlie  even  the  lignitic,  and  are 
provisionally  termed  the  Hickman  group,  from  their  prom- 
inent occurrence  in  the  bluffs  of  tfie  Mississippi  river  at  the 
town  of  that  name. 

The  Eocene  subdivisions  represented  and  described  are,  be- 
ginning with  the  upper, 

Lagrange  group  (of  Salford’s  Tennessee). 

Lignitic  ( Safford’ s Porter’s  Creek  and  Bluff  lignite). 
Hickman  (provisional) . 

The  upper  Mississippi  divisions  of  the  Eocene,  viz : Vicks- 
burg, Jackson  and  Claiborne,  are  not  represented  either  in 
Tennessee  or  Kentucky. 

HICKMAN  GROUP. 

The  strata  referred,  under  this  name,  to  a geologic  groiqi 
other  than  the  rest  of  the  Eocene,  are  exposed  in  the  bluffs 
bordering  the  Mississippi  bottom  from  Hickman  south  into 
Tennessee.  Their  position,  with  reference  to  other  Eocene 
divisions,  has  not  been  positively  ascertained,  but  there  is 
very  strong  evidence  that  they  are  older  than  the  lignitic. 

These  exposures  are  embraced  in  a belt  of  country  five 
miles  west  of  a line  running  south  from  the  lignitic  outcrops 
at  Columbus,  and  both  of  the  formations  have  an  apparent 
slight  easterly  and  north-westerly  dip,  which  would  carry  the 
Hickman  beds  much  below  those  of  Columbus. 


38 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


As  exposed  in  the  bluffs  at  Hickman,  the  group  shows  the 
following  section : 

SECTION  OF  BLUFFS  AT  HICKMAN,  KY. 


4 feet. — Yellow  or  brownish  yellow  loam 


50  feet. — Light  grey  silt 


15  feet. — Dark  brown  loam 


2 feet. — Brown  loam  with  scattered  gravel 


1 foot.- 
8 feet.- 


-Dense  bed  of  cherty  gravel 
-Gravel  bed  with  sand  and  lumps  of  clay 


6 feet. — Greenish,  sometimes  bluish  joint  clay  . . . 

2 feet. — Sand  and  claystone  ledge 

3 feet. — Thinly  laminated,  slate-colored  joint  clay,  green 

ish  clay-stone  and  green  clay' 

10  feet. — Banded  with  yellow  ferruginous  lines 
6 feet. — Slate  colored  clay-stone,  often  massive,  easily 
crumbling,  jointed  structure,  with  spots  of  opal 


Greenish  joint  clay  . 


(a)  River.  (b)  Cypress  knees  at  221  feet 

Going  eastward,  the  clay-stone  of  the  above  section  is 
exposed  along  the  bluff's  for  a few  hundred  yards,  and 
apparently  in  very  nearly  horizontal  beds.  The  underlying 
clays  appear  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  a mile  east  of  this,  but 
the  clay-stone  seems  to  have  been  removed  by  that  denuda- 
tion which  took  ])lace  probably  at  the  beginning  of  the  Qua- 
ternary. The  clay-stone  mentioned  above  is  highly  siliceous  in 


OF  TiiK  .Jackson’s  fukchask  ukoion. 


39 


places,  and  holds  dark  opalescent  masses  which  break  easily. 
These  were  observed  only  in  the  point  of  the  bluff  between 
the  ininip  factory  and  the  river.  The  clay-stone  disappears 
in  the  bluffs  south  of  town. 

Going  south  from  Hickman,  the  green  clays  outcrop  along 
the  bluffs  as  far  as  Mr.  Carpenter’s  on  the  east  of  Reelfoot 
Lake,  just  beyond  the  State  line.  The  bluffs  here  are  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  high,  rising  quite  abruptly 
from  the  bottom  lands.  At  their  base  an  exposure  shows 
the  following  section  beneath  the  grey  silt  and  gravel : 


Blue  fetid  clay  at  fifty  feet  above  the  river  bottom 

Ledge  of  solid  clay-stone 

Soft  grey  sandstone,  with  yellow  streaks  .... 
Greenish  or  drab  clays 


2 feet. 

1 foot. 

6 inches. 
45  feet. 


The  green  clay  was  penetrated  in  a well  on  the  south  of 
town  within  the  eastward  curve  that  the  bluff  makes,  and 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  its  foot.  The  sec- 
tion presented  was  as  follows : 


Loam 

Greenish  or  drab  clay 

Blue  plastic  clay,  micaceous  and  fetid  with  small  pieces  of  lignite  . . . 
AVhite  sand  to  water 


6 feet. 

5 feet. 

8 to  10  feet. 
8 feet. 


The  above  well  was  sunk  in  the  flat  bottom  land  of  the 
river.  The  w^ater  is  unhealthy,  probably  charged  with  Epsom 
salts. 

The  green  clay  spreads  easily  where  disintegrated  from  its 
jointy  nature,  and  has  probably  thus  been  deposited,  during 
the  Quaternary,  over  what  seem  to  be  Port  Hudson  beds. 

No  wells  have  been  dug  to  such  a depth  that  we  can  as- 
certain the  thickness  of  this  group,  or  the  character  of  the 
material  underlying  it.  To  westward  on  the  Missouri  shore, 
the  nearest  bluff  exposure  is  that  of  “Clay  Bluff;”  so  that 
we  have  in  the  Hickman  series  either  beds  synchronous  with 
the  lignitic  Columbus  beds,  but  free  from  the  dark  organic 
matter  because  of  their  distance  from  the  shallow  Tertiary 
shore  line,  or  of  beds  older  than  the  Columbus. 


40 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  following  analyses  have  been  made  of  the  sand  rock 
found  in  the  Hickman  beds : 

No.  1440.  Soft  sandstone  from  the  bluff  at  Hickman,  Fulton 
county,  fifty  feet  above  low  water.  A whitish,  porous  and 
friable  siliceous  rock ; adheres  to  the  tongue.  Only  slightly 
plastic  when  powdered  and  rubbed  up  with  water.  Burns  of 
a light  buff  color. 

No.  1441.  Soft  sandstone  from  Chickasaw  Bluff,  eight  miles 
south  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  Bed  ten  feet  thick,  sim- 
ilar to  the  preceding. 

No.  1442.  Soft  sandstone  from  Chickasaw  Bluff,  near  the 
base ; eight  miles  south  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  A dull 
light-yellowish  grey,  porous,  soft  sandstone ; adheres  strongly 
to  the  tongue.  Composed  of  minute  rounded  quartoze  grains, 
with  a whitish  cement. 


ANALYSES  OF  SOFT  SANDSTONES,  FULTON  COUNTY. 


Hickman. 

Eight  miles  S.  of  Hickman. 

No.  1440. 

No.  1441. 

No.  1442. 

Silica 

81.060 

89.160 

94.060 

Alumina  and  iron  oxides 

13.609 

7.809 

3 129 

Lime  carbonate 

.560 

.380 

.380 

Mae;nesia 

.139 

.086 

.173 

Phosphoric  acid 

.051 

.051 

.051 

Sulphuric  acid 

.844 

.707 

.981 

Potash 

.231 

.115 

.230 

Soda 

.021 

.080 

.124 

Water  expelled  at  red  heat 

3.600 

2.400 

1.600 

Total 

100.115 

100.788 

100.728 

The  analyses  show  these  sandstones  to  be  somewhat  gyp- 
seous and  clayey,  the  clay  holding  also  potash,  soda,  magnesia 
and  phosphoric  acid. 

The  Hickman  rock  possesses  this  clayey  feature  to  a high 
degree,  but  southward  the  sandstones  are  more  and  more 


OF  TiiK  Jackson's  purchask  ri<:oion. 


41 


sandy,  and  at  the  State  line  have  less  than  one  fourth  of  the 
amount  of  clay. 

LIONITIC  GROUP. 

This,  the  next  lowest  division  of  the  Eocene,  embraces 
the  two  ^?ronps  of  Salford’s  Tennessee,  viz:  Porter’s  creek 
and  blnlT  lignite,  which  he  supposed  were  separated  by  his 
Lagrange  beds,  but  which  are  in  reality  one  and  the  same 
bed,  as  shown  in  the  bluff  of  the  Ohio  on  the  Illinois  shore 
at  Caledonia,  as  well  as  by  the  continuity  of  the  belt  on  the 
east,  north  and  west  of  the  Purchase  region. 

The  belt,  designated  on  the  map  by  a bright  yellow  color, 
enters  from  Tennessee  with  a width  of  about  ten  miles,  passes 
northward  through  the  middle  of  Calloway  county,  soon 
bends  to  the  north-west,  through  the  south-west  corner  of 
Marshall,  and  passes  diagonally,  through  the  center  of  Mc- 
Cracken and  the  northern  part  of  Ballard  county,  into  Illinois, 
in  the  region  of  Caledonia,  following  a parallel  course  with 
that  of  the  Cretaceous  already  outlined. 

Southward,  along  the  Mississippi  river  bluffs,  its  first  out- 
crops occur  two  miles  north  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county,  and 
in  the  bluffs  between  Wickliffe  and  Fort  Jefferson,  reaching 
eastward  seven  miles  to  Blandville,  and  southward  to  Lake- 
ton  on  the  M.  and  O.  R.  R.  Thence  to  Columbus  the  bluffs 
are  composed  largely  of  alternating  layers  of  sands  and  pipe 
clays  which  belong  to  the  higher  Lagrange  group ; but  at 
Columbus,  and  a mile  above,  and  also  at  Chalk  Bluff,  two 
miles  south,  the  greatest  exposures  of  the  Lignitic  beds 
occur,  and  are  apparently  the  last  of  the  series  in  this  direc- 
tion, for  the  bluffs  southward  to  the  Obion  and  Bayou  de 
Chien  recede  and  become  lower  eastward  from  the  river,  and 
the  beds  disappear  beneath  the  Quaternary  deposits. 

In  Tennessee  the  group  appears  again  in  the  Chickasaw 
bluffs  at  Randolph,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  with  an  ex- 
posed thickness  of  ninety  feet,  and  near  Memphis,  where 
there  are  but  twenty  feet  exposed.  (Tennessee  Geological 
Report,  page  429.) 

The  material  of  the  group  comprises — First.  A lower  heavy 
bed  of  massive  joint  clay,  black  when  wet.  but  drying  to  a 
lead-grey  color,  and  on  exposure  to  air  crumbling  to  a fine 


42 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


slialy  mass.  This  is  the  Porter’s  creek  group  of  the  Ten- 
nessee series.  It  is  popularly  called  “soapstone.”  Along 
the  Mississippi  river  bluffs  the  clays,  while  dark  and  some- 
what jointy,  are  more  sandy  than  those  on  the  eastern  side, 
of  the  region.  Second.  An  upper  bed  of  dark  sandy  clays, 
holding  two  layers  of  lignite,  each  varying  from  two  to  four 
feet  in  thickness,  the  topmost  being  about  five  feet  from  the 
surface  of  the  formation.  This  upper  or  lignitic  portion  of 
the  group,  while,  perhaps,  at  one  time  continuous  from  the 
Mississippi  river  eastward  nearly  to  the  Cretaceous,  has  now 
almost  disappeared  on  the  east,  outcropping  only  on  Panther 
creek,  six  miles  east  of  Mayfield,  in  Graves  county.  On  the 
west,  however,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wickliffe,  the  lignite 
beds  reach  for  three  miles  to  north  and  south,  and  for  seven 
miles  eastward  to  Blandville.  Elsewhere  in  the  Purchase 
counties  they  have  not  been  observed. 

The  lignitic  group  is  everywhere  covered  by  heavy  beds 
of  gravel  and  loam,  rendering  its  examination,  or  even  a 
knowledge  of  the  character  and  extension  of  its  beds,  de- 
pendent entirely  upon  such  exposures  as  have  been  made 
by  streams,  gullies,  and  by  well-digging  and  boring.  The 
following  section  shows  the  character  of  the  series  comjDris- 
ing  the  group : 

SECTION  OF  THE  LIGNITIC  GROUP. 


Dark  sandy  clays 

Lignite  bed 

Dark  sandy  clays 

Lignite  bed 

Dark  sandy  clays 

Clay-stone,  with  fossil  leaf  impressions 

Dark  sandy  clay,  the  upper  holding  leaf  impressions 

Micaceous  sandstone,  with  fossil  casts 

Black  joint  clay,  changing  to  dark  sandy  clay  . . . . 


3 feet. 

4 feet. 

5 feet. 
3 feet. 
3 feet. 
2 feet. 

2 feet. 

3 feet. 
100  feet. 


Beginning  at  the  Tennessee  State  line  on  the  south-east,  and 
going  northward  in  Calloway  county,  we  find  black  joint 
clay  exposed  in  the  bed  and  bluffs  of  the  East  Fork  of 
Clark’s  river  at  Paris  bridge,  one  mile  south  of  Murray, 
the  county  seat.  The  clay  here  is  in  strata,  each  jointed  or 


OK  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PUKCIIASK  REGION. 


43 


broken  up  into  irregularly  shaped  blocks,  the  seams  sepa- 
rating them  being  tilled  with  yellow  clay,  whose  coloring 
matter  has  been  derived  from  the  overlying  clayey  gravel 
beds.  The  clay  forms  a bed  of  about  twenty  feet ; it  is  very 
brittle,  and,  when  moist,  cuts  roughiy  with  a knife.  Its  analy- 
sis is  given  in  the  chapter  descriptive  of  the  Purchase  clays. 

The  clay  outcrops  again  north  of  Murray,  in  the  banks  of 
the  creeks  and  along  the  roadside,  as  described  in  the  Callo- 
way county  report  at  the  end  of  this  volume.  At  Wadesboro 
its  upper  portion  is  so  highly  charged  with  iron  as  to  make 
of  it  a good  yellow  ochre.  This  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of 
the  ravine  just  east  of  the  main  street,  and  is  about  ten 
inches  thick.  The  jointy  character  of  the  clay  is  well  shown. 

To  the  westward,  the  clays  sink  far  below  the  surface,  and 
are  covered  by  the  sands  and  pipe  clays  of  the  Lagrange 
group.  In  a well  on  the  place  of  Mr.  Miller  the  clay  was 
reached  at  a depth  of  about  130  feet,  pieces  of  lignite 
being  found  also. 

In  Marshall  county  (northward)  exposures  of  the  lower  dark 
joint  clays  occur  about  four  miles  west  of  Benton,  and  occa- 
sionally in  the  banks  of  the  West  Fork  of  Clark’s  river.  The 
upper  beds  of  lignite  overlie  them  on  Panther  creek,  a small 
stream  west  of  the  river,  in  Graves  county,  and  six  miles  east 
of  Maytield.  The  lignite  is  very  similar  to  that  of  Wicklitfe, 
to  be  mentioned  below.  The  bed  is  about  six  feet  thick,  the 
upper  and  lower  portions  black,  and  holding  pieces  of  ligni- 
tized  wood,  the  central  portion  being  of  a dark  brown  color, 
and  very  light,  tine-grained  and  compact — more  of  a iignitic- 
peat  in  character.  Its  analysis,  given  in  full  in  another  chap- 
ter, shows  69.40  per  cent,  of  ash,  and  26.47  per  cent,  of  com- 
bustible matter.  It  is  overlaid  by  a bed  of  somewhat  mica- 
ceous grey  sandy  clay,  eight  feet  thick,  and  similar  to  that  at 
Columbus. 

The  above  bed  of  lignite  is  the  only  one  exposed  in  the 
eastern  belt  of  the  group,  and  outcrops  for  about  lifty  feet 
along  the  creek.  It  was  again  exposed  on  the  branch  about 
a mile  northward.  It  contains  numerous  leaf  impressions. 

North-westward  from  Benton  the  lignitic  formation  is  ex- 
posed at  a number  of  i^oints  south  from  the  river,  and 


44 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FKATURES 


also  in  the  bluffs  of  West  Fork,  at  Lyell’s  mill,  near  Sym- 
sonia.  At  this  latter  place  the  black  joint  clay  has  an 
exposed  thickness  of  eight  feet,  under  two  feet  of  soft  mi- 
caceous sandstone,  here  free  from  fossil  casts  — which  is 
overlaid  in  turn  by  three  feet  of  the  same  black  joint  clay. 
On  the  hills  above  the  creek  forty  feet  of  Quaternary  gravel 
and  loam  cover  the  Tertiary. 

doing  down  the  river,  the  same  clays  form  the  immediate 
steep  bluff's  at  a number  of  points  as  far  north  as  the  old 
lish-trap  ford,  four  miles  above  the  railroad  crossing.  Borings 
made  at  this  point  showed  the  underlying  micaceous  sandy 
clays  of  the  Cretaceous.  Here  the  exposure  at  the  water’s 
edge  is  the  stiff  joint  clay,  changing  above  to  a dark  mi- 
caceous saudy  clay,  eight  feet  in  all,  and  capped  with  the 
micaceous  sand-rock,  two  feet  in  thickness,  in  which  no  fos- 
sils could  be  found ; over  this  occurs  another  bed  of  the 
black  clay. 

The  lower  joint  clay  bed  is  very  brittle,  cuts  very  smoothly 
with  a knife,  the  chips  crumbling  readily.  The  transition  to 
the  dark  sandy  clay  above  is  sudden.  These  lower  beds  are 
penetrated  by  seams  of  the  micaceous  sandstone,  often  cross- 
ing each  other,  as  if  that  rock  material,  on  being  deposited, 
had  filled  broad  cracks  in  the  clay  strata.  Some  were  as 
much  as  three  inches  in  width,  running  east  and  west,  and 
exposed  for  twenty-five  feet.  The  upper  sandstone  ledge  is 
horizontal,  and  in  every  respect  is  the  same  as  that  found 
at  Lyell’s  mill  and  already  mentioned. 

To  westward,  the  formation  is  next  exposed  in  the  foot  of 
the  hills  that  border  the  broad  flats  of  the  Ohio.  On  the 
road  leading  south  from  Paducah,  and  at  points  three  and 
four  miles  distant,  fine  exposures  are  had  in  the  deep  washes 
by  the  side  of  the  road. 

There  is  a broad  valley  on  the  south  of  Eden’s  hill,  and  on 
rising  from  this  valley,  going  southward,  the  most  northern 
of  these  outcrops  is  seen.  The  next  exposure  is  about  one 
mile  farther  south,  or  on  the  south  side  of  this  hill,  consist- 
ing of  twelve  feet  (exposed)  of  lignitic  joint  clay,  below  four 
feet  of  micaceous  sand-rock,  in  which  are  large  numbers  of 
casts  of  Lower  Eocene  fossils ; about  thirty  feet  of  Quater- 


OK  THE  Jackson’s  pukchase  rechon. 


45 


nary  gravel  and  loam  overlie  the  bed.  The  strata  seem  to 
dip  slightly  to  the  north. 

The  laminated  sand-rock  is  again  exposed  a mile  south,  on 
the  eastern  edge  of  the  hill  of  hard  Onandaga  quartzite  at 
Mr.  layers’;  its  outcrop  is  about  lifty  feet  thick;  tlie  strata 
are  in  an  almost  vertical  position,  and  have  a north  and 
south  strike.  It  is  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  and  may  have 
fallen  in  at  some  time  by  the  undermining  action  of  water, 
though  it  is  not  broken  up  and  its  bedding  is  very  regular. 
Casts  of.  fossil  shells  were  also  found  here.  Its  .surface  is 
about  live  feet  below  that  of  the  outcrops  on  the  north  side 
of  this  valley,  in  the  section  just  described.  On  the  west 
side  of  the  hill  of  quartzite,  and  but  a short  distance  from 
this  sand-rock,  a well,  when  dug,  struck  blackish  joint  clay 
at  about  fifteen  feet,  and  penetrated  it  for  thirty-five  or 
forty  feet  without  passing  through  it. 

An  interesting  feature  connected  with  the  micaceous  sand- 
stone is,  that  it  seems  to  have  been  confined  to  the  east  of 
the  line  marking  the  exposures  of  quartzite. 

The  fossil  casts  found  here  have  been  determined  by  Prof. 
Heilprin,  of  the  Philadelj)hia  Academy  of  Sciences,  to  com- 
prise the  following : 

Nucula  (in  all  probability  N.  onula). 

Leda  protexta. 

Leda  Costata  (?) 

Mysia  ungulina. 

Turritella  Mortoni. 

The  lignitic  belt,  turning  thence  to  the  north-westward,  is 
not  exposed,  so  far  as  known,  excej)t  at  Maxon’s  mill,  and 
in  wells  at  several  points  between  Paducah  and  Woodville. 
Beyond  this  it  has  been  cut  through  by  the  erosion  that  pre- 
ceded the  deposition  of  Quaternary  Port  Hudson  clays  and 
stratified  drift  and  loam,  which  now  fill  the  basin  between 
Woodville  and  the  Illinois  bluffs  of  the  Ohio,  at  Caledonia. 

The  Caledonia  bluffs  rise  almost  precijjitously  from  the 
river  shore  to  a height  of  about  one  hundred  feet  above  low 
water.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  there  was  about  nine  feet 
of  water  above  the  low-water  mark,  and  at  its  edge  was  ex- 


46 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


posed  a bed  of  greensand  (glauconite)  with  hyaline  sand  and 
dark  clay.  Above  this  are  seventy-five  feet  of  the  dark  joint 
clay,  weathering  to  a grey  shale,  and  similar  in  every  regard 
to  the  clay  beds  of  the  lignitic,  already  described.  On  the 
western  end  of  the  bluff  the  upper  part  of  this  clay  gradu- 
ates almost  imperceptibly  into  the  dark  sandy  clay  of  the 
Columbus  bluffs,  with  a thickness  of  about  twenty  feet.  The 
bluffs  here  are  lower. 

SECTION  OF  CALEDONIA  BLUFFS. 


Brown  loam  . . . . 

Silt  or  loam 

Gravel 

Dark  sandy  clay,  indurated 

Dark  joint  clay,  weathering  into  a grey  shale  and  with  cracks  running 

S.  20  W 

Greensand  (glauconite)  with  hyaline  sand ; also  some  black  sand  and  clay. 


10  feet. 

10  feet. 

5 feet. 

20  feet. 

25  feet. 

2 to  4 feet. 


The  micaceous  sandstone  of  the  Paducah  series  has  disap- 
peared, or  has  been  merged  into  what  seems  to  be  its  equiva- 
lent— the  heavy  bed  of  indurated  sandy  clay. 

There  are  no  lignitic  exposures  south-westward  and  south- 
ward in  Kentucky,  until  Cane  creek  is  reached,  two  miles 
north  of  Wickliffe,  or  about  twelve  miles  south  of  Caledonia. 
The  beds  here  exposed  are  the  upper  part  of  dark  sandy  clay 
(the  equivalent  of  the  joint  clay)  and  its  overlying  stratum 
of  lignite.  The  entire  thickness  shown  is  about  ten  feet. 

The  indurated  sandy  clay  forms  the  bluffs  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  at  Columbus,  and  the  so-called  “chalk  banks,” 
two  miles  farther  south.  Dipping  to  the  north-east,  they 
pass  below  the  beds  of  lignite  at  Wickliffe  and  elsewhere. 

The  bluffs  at  Columbus  show  the  following  section  ; 


^ Soil  and  subsoil 

3 feet. 

Gray  silt  or  loam 

25  feet. 

Quaternary  . 

■ 

Brown  loam  and  small  quartz  pebbles 

4 feet. 

Coarse  gravel  and  sand 

15  feet. 

Dense  gravel  bed 

20  feet. 

Stiff  variegated  colored  clay,  with  some  sand  layers  .... 

15  feet. 

Tertiary  . . 

Dark  sandy  clays,  with  lignitic  leaves,  etc.,  in  upper  portion. 

50  feet. 

Covered  with  debris  to  water’s  edge 

15  feet. 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


BLUFF  AT  COLUMBUS,  HICKMAN  CO.,  KY. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  purchase  region. 


47 


At  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  beneath  the  debris,  there  are  vari- 
egated and  white  sands,  but  belonging  to  a more  recent  for- 
mation. The  bluffs  at  the  “chalk  banks”  show  about  the  same 
bedding. 

The  beds  in  each  are  indurated,  when  exposed,  into  a 
greyish  semi-sandstone.  They  contain  much  lignitic  matter  in 
the  form  of  leaves  and  sticks  of  wood  ; descriptions  of  the 
former  are  given  below.  Between  Columbus  and  the  “chalk 
banks”  there  has  been  an  extensive  cutting  away  of  the 
bluffs,  the  plain  or  bottom  land  on  which  Columbus  stands 
reaching  a mile  eastward  from  the  river. 

These  easterly  bluffs  are  much  lower  than  those  that  rise 
immediately  from  the  water’s  edge — a feature  of  the  entire 
bluff  region  southward  into  Tennessee  and  beyond.  The 
grey  lignitic  clay  outcrops  in  the  bluffs  north-east  and  east 
of  Columbus  in  but  few  places,  having,  it  would  seem,  been 
largely  removed  by  some  denuding  agency  before  the  depo- 
sition of  the  sands  and  clays  of  the  succeeding  or  Lagrange 
division.  This  is  to  be  observed  prominently  in  the  bluff 
immediately  north  of  the  town,  where  heavy  beds  of  fine 
white  sand,  with  interbedded  stiff,  plastic  and  variously  col- 
ored pipe  clay,  rise  from  the  river ; while  a short  distance 
up  the  river,  in  the  same  bluff,  the  lignitic  beds  rise  to  the 
same  height  from  the  water’s  edge. 

The  same  feature  is  seen  at  the  “chalk  banks,”  where 
the  sandy  clays  are  replaced  on  the  northern  end  by  the 
inters tratified  sands  and  clays  of  the  Lagrange  group.  It  is 
a question  .whether  the  entire  distance  between  these  two 
lignitic  bluffs  was  not  once  occupied  by  the  Lagrange,  to  be 
subsequently  removed  by  currents. 

The  upper  beds  of  lignite  do  not  appear  in  these  bluffs, 
nor  at  Randolph,  Tennessee  (Safford) ; but,  as  already  men- 
tioned, farther  north-eastward,  at  Wickliffe  and  Blandville. 
Immediately  south  of  the  former,  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
has  cut  away  a large  portion  of  the  beds  at  the  base  of  the 
hills,  showing  a vertical  section  in  which  the  stratum  of 
lignite  is  seen  in  a long  horizontal  black  or  brown  band,  for 
many  hundred  yards.  Its  position  is  about  thirty  feet  above 
the  river  bottom  land,  and  within  the  upper  part  of  the 
lignitic  sandy  clays. 


48 


OEOLOOIOAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


Beneath  tliis,  at  about  ten  feet,  another  bed  is  said  to  occur, 
though  not  exposed  except  in  a culvert  under  the  bed  of  the 
railroad,  where  it  is  said  to  have,  at  one  time,  caught  fire  and 
slowly  burned  for  many  months.  I rather  believe  it  to  be 
simply  a portion  of  the  upper  bed  that  has  slid  down  from 
its  original  position,  as  the  bluffs  are  thus  constantly  doing, 
much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  track  hands. 

The  lignite  stratum  is  about  four  feet  thick,  comprising  a 
central  portion  of  two  feet  of  very  finely  divided,  light, 
highly  compact  and  brown  lignite ; and  an  upper  and  lower 
layer,  a foot  each,  of  black  and  fine  lignitic  matter,  holding 
also  leaves  and  sticks.  The  entire  mass,  and  especially  the 
central  part,  has  the  appearance  of  a bed  of  lignitic  peat. 

The  following  is  a section  of  the  bluff  above  mentioned : 


12  feet. 

3 feet. 

15  feet. 
10  feet. 

C inches. 
5 feet. 

5 feet. 

25  feet. 


The  lignite  is  again  found  in  the  deep  ravines  and  creek 
bottoms  at  a number  of  points,  east  of  Wickliffe,  to  Bland- 
ville,  seven  miles  distant.  At  the  latter  place  it  resembles 
in  every  respect  the  bed  at  Wickliffe,  except  that  it  is,  in 
places,  very  highly  pyritous.. 

At  two  miles  west  of  Milburn,  or  twelve  miles  south  of 
Blandville,  there  is  an  exposure  of  plastic  and  black  lignitic 
clay,  but  at  no  other  point  have  I been  able  to  find  any  of 
the  beds  of  the  formation ; on  the  contrary,  the  sands  and 
clays  of  the  succeeding  or  Lagrange  group  are  penetrated 
in  wells  at  sometimes  even  lower  depths  than  the  lignite, 
and  outcrop  occasionally  in  the  banks  of  streams. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  lignite  beds  ex- 
tended eastward  to  the  Cretaceous,  covering  almost  the  entire 
country,  and  that  the  period  was  followed  by  a rapid  current 


Quaternary  . 


Laarransce,  w: 


Lignitic, 


Grej'  silt  or  loam 

Brown  loam  with  small  gravel 

I Hounded  and  angular  chert  gravel 

1 Coarse  sand,  in  part  red  and  in  part  hyaline 

Interstratified  red  and  white  clay  and  sand 

' Dark  massive  lignitic  clay 

Lignitic  peat 

Massive  dark  sandy  clays  with  leaf  impressions,  etc.,  to 
railroad  track 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  FUKCHASE  REGION, 


4'.) 


•of  water,  wliicli  swejit  away  the  greater  part  of  the  formation, 
leaving  the  long  line  of  clays  on  the  east,  the  bluffs  at  Wick- 
liffe  and  Columbus  and  intermediate  points,  as  well  as  the 
lignite  bed  east  of  Mayfield  and  the  isolated  point  at  Mil- 
burn. 

The  fossil  leaves  described  below  were  collected  in  the 
chalky  banks  of  the  Mississippi  river  near  Columbus,  Ky., 
by  Dr.  D.  Dale  Owen  and  L.  Lesquereux.  (The  descriptions 
are  taken  from  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts, 
2d  Series,  xxvii.) 

1.  Quercus  virens  (Michx.),  live  oak.  The  leaves  of  this 
species  are  abundant  in  the  strata.  On  this  oak  Michaux 
remarks  that  its  range  of  habitat  does  not  extend  to  more 
than  ten  to  fifteen  miles  from  the  shores  of  the  sea,  in  the 
southern  States. 

2.  Castanea  nana  (Muhl.)  Our  leaf  is  somewhat  narrower 
than  generally  found  in  this  species,  which  now  inhabits  the 
pine  barrens  of  the  south. 

3.  Ulmus  alata  (Michx.)  This  species  is  also  mentioned 
with  some  doubt.  Our  leaf  is  more  pointed  and  its  teeth 
shorter.  It  might  be  only  a variety  of  Ulmus  Americana. 
The  only  specimen  is  deficient. 

With  the  above  species  there  is  another  Ulmus,  scarcely 
one  inch  long,  ovate,  with  nervation  and  form  of  teeth  of  the 
genus  which  exactly  resembles  Ulmus  minuta  (Gopp)  of  the 
Upper  Miocene.  Perhaps  it  may  be  a variety  of  the  follow- 
ing species.  But  it  differs  evidently  in  its  simple  teeth  and 
the  rounded  base  of  the  leaves. 

4.  Planera  Gmelini  (Michx.)  This  species  grows  now  in 
the  river  swamps  of  Louisiana. 

5.  Prinos  integrifoUa  (Ell.)  Two  leaves  of  this  species 
were  found  in  the  “chalk  banks.”  They  agree  in  every 
point  with  the  Prinos  still  living  in  Florida. 

6.  Ceanothus  ^^Americanus'^  (L.)  To  this  very  variable  and 
common  species,  I refer  with  some  doubt  two  leaves,  one 
large,  regularly  ovate-obtuse,  with  somewhat  decurrent  mar- 
gins, the  other  oval-lanceolate,  with  rounded  base.  The  ner- 
vation and  serrature  of  the  leaves  are  just  alike  and  agree 
with  C.  Americanus. 


GEOL.  SUR. — 4 


50 


op:ological  and  economic  features 


7.  Carya  olivcEformis  (Nutt),  pecan.  Fruit  and  leaves  in 
specimens.  The  geo<?faphical  habitat  of  this  species  is  still 
the  same  as  of  old. 

8.  Oleditschia  tricanthos  (L.)  A few  detached  leaflets  evi- 
dently belonging  to  the  locust. 

9.  Acorus  calamus  (L.).  Part  of  a broken  leaf. 

10.  Some  undeterminable  catkins  of  Alnus  or  Betula. 

Clay-stone. — The  lignite  beds  are  overlaid  at  Wickliffe  by 

a fine  light  grey  colored  clay-stone  'rich  in  fossil  leaves.  The 
thickest  bed,  or  what  seems  to  be  an  accumulation  of  broken 
pieces  of  the  stone,  occurs  in  the  bank  of  the  creek  south- 
east of  the  town,  with  a thickness  of  about  ten  feet,  but 
elsewhere  there  is  only  a thin  layer  of  it,  and  not  promi- 
nently exposed. 

During  the  lignitic  period,  this  country  between  the  Cre- 
taceous shore  line  on  the  east  and  the  western  border  was 
a sea- marsh,  at  first  deep,  but  soon,  on  filling  up  with  the 
dark  sands,  became  shallow  enough  to  support  a rank  veg- 
etable- growth,  the  leaves  and  stems  of  which,  falling  and 
sinking  with  the  dark  clays,  were  embedded  in  them. 

The  surface  of  the  basin  thus  gradually  rising,  and  at  the 
same  time  filling  up  until  it  was  little  else  than  a peat  bog, 
reached,  as  far  as  can  be  judged,  from  what  are  now  the  bluffs 
of  the  Mississippi  river  eastward  to  the  present  Clark’s  river, 
and  southward  from  the  Illinois  shore  to  a little  south  of 
Mayfield.  This  peat  was  probably  of  moss,  whose  decay 
would  result  in  the  finely  divided  material  that  we  find 
here.  It  is  very  compact,  and  almost  entirely  devoid  of 
leaves  and  sticks,  except  in  the  upper  and  lower  sections  of 
the  bed.  Upon  changing  to  lignite  by  age  the  peat  proper 
became  of  a dark  brown  color,  and  with  a thickness  of 
about  two  feet.  Leaves  falling  upon  this  peat  formed,  in 
the  course  of  time,  a lignitic  mass  of  from  three  to  six 
feet  thick  in  all.  Deeper  water  followed  this  period,  and 
another  bed  of  dark  sands  covered  the  peat,  to  be  followed 
again  by  another  shallow  bog,  and  thus  alternately  to  the 
end  of  the  period.  There  are  two  or  more  of  these  lignite 
beds,  and  all  are  overlaid  finally  by  two  or  more  feet  of 
dark  sandy  clays. 


OF  THE  .IACKSON’S  I'UUCIIASK  REGION. 


f)l 


It  is  hard  to  arrive  at  any  definite  conclusion  as  to  the 
condition  of  tlie  region  at  the  end  of  the  lignitic  period, 
or  prior  to  the  deposition  of  the  succeeding  Lagrange  beds. 
The  absence  of  lignitic  strata  within  a broad  belt  reaching 
from  the  (at  that  time)  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  eastward 
for  many  miles,  and  finally  southward  into  Tennessee,  indi- 
cates either  that  the  river  current  swept  far  out  into  shallow 
gulf  marshes  and  kept  this  belt  free  from  the  deposits  of 
clay  and  vegetable  matter,  or  that  these  deposits,  covering 
the  entire  region,  were  in  this  belt  removed  by  a strong 
and  sudden  current  coming  from  the  north-west,  leaving  a 
deep  basin  to  be  again  filled  by  later  deposits  of  an  en- 
tirely different  character,  viz : the  Lagrange  group  of  sands 
and  clays.  This  latter  view  is  sustained  by,  jirat,  the  out- 
lying remnants  of  the  lignitic  beds,  one  at  Panther  creek, 
six  miles  east  of  Mayfield,  in  Graves  county,  and  another 
two  miles  west  of  Milburn,  in  Ballard  county : while  on 
the  north  of  Mayfield  creek  the  beds  cover  a large  area, 
and  are  continuous  from  Blandville  westward  to  the  river 
bottom,  its  outlines  forming  a triangle  whose  apex  is  at 
Blandville,  and  its  base  reaches  from  two  miles  north  of 
Wickliffe  southward  along  the  Mississippi  bluffs  to  near 
Laketon.  Second.  By  the  very  evident  removal  of  the  lower 
portion  of  the  lignitic  bluffs  between  Columbus  and  the 
Chalk  Banks,  and  again  between  the  latter  and  the  Hick- 
man bluffs,  as  already  alluded  to,  and  the  filling  up  of  the 
gap  by  the  Lagrange  beds.  This  presupposes  the  current 
of  the  Mississippi  river  to  have  been  far  westward  of  its 
present  bed,  or  in  a continuous . course  with  tlie  river  far 
west  of  Cairo ; a strong  current  then  coming  from  the 
north-west  must  have  cut  its  way  by  several  channels 
through  the  lignitic  marshes  southward  for  many  miles ; 
one  from  the  present  site  of  Cairo  eastward  until  it  met  the 
Ohio  current  and  then  turned  southward ; another  reach- 
ing more  southward,  between  the  present  Wickliffe  and  Co- 
lumbus bluffs,  cutting  away  the  beds  to  Milburn,  and  also 
removing,  in  its  south-easterly  course,  the  lignitic  beds  be- 
tween the  bluffs  at  Columbus  and  those  at  Chalk  Banks  (two 
miles  south),  and  on  to  the  south  of  Milburn,  leaving  a small 


52 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


outcrop  of  black  clays  two  miles  west  of  the  latter  place  and 
joining  the  main  current  further  southward.  A portion  of 
this  current  cut  away  a long  portion  of  the  river  bluffs  be- 
tween the  Chalk  Banks  and  Hickman,  leaving  but  a narrow 
belt  of  Eocene  at  the  latter  place,  and  affording  a subse- 
quent outlet  for  the  waters  of  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien. 

Within  the  territory  thus  outlined,  as  having  been  denuded 
of  its  lignitic  beds,  I have  found  nothing  older  than  the  La- 
grange sands  and  clays,  and  these  reaching  to  dei)ths  far 
below  the  level  of  the  lignitic  at  Columbus. 

LAGRANGE  GROUP. 

This  group,  so  named  by  Prof.  Safford,  in  his  Tennessee 
report,  from  its  largely  developed  beds  near  the  town  of  La- 
grange, is  referred  by  him  to  the  Eocene,  though  no  fossil 
shells  have  been  found  to  verify  his  impressions. 

The  eleven  specimens  of  fossil  leaves  from  a thin  local 
sandstone  in  the  bottom  of  a railroad  cut  near  Somerville, 
and  the  three  specimens  from  the  clays  at  Lagrange,  Tennes- 
see (Geol.  of  Tenn.,  pp.  425-6),  indicate,  according  to  Prof. 
Lesquereux,  a Miocene  or  Upper  Tertiary  age  for  these  beds. 
In  Kentucky  there  are  three  distinct  leaf-bearing  beds,  viz: 
the  dark  arenaceous  Tertiary  clays  of  the  Columbus  bluffs, 
described  above,  the  Tertiary  clay-stone  of  Wickliffe  which 
is  clearly  associated  with  the  lignite,  and  the  fine  plastic 
clays  of  Boaz  Station,  which  resemble  the  Lagrange  clays. 
The  leaf-bearing  sandstone  of  Somerville  has  not  been  ob- 
served in  Kentucky. 

The  presence  of  fossil  leaves  in  the  Lagrange  clays  gives 
to  them  their  only,  and  even  then  a doubtful.  Tertiary  fea- 
ture, while  in  all  other  respects  the  beds  strongly  resemble 
the  Quaternary  deposits.  Owing  to  this  uncertainty  as  to  age 
I have,  in  this  report,  placed  the  Lagrange  beds  provision- 
ally in  the  Tertiary  but  above  the  Eocene  division  (a  position 
higher  than  that  given  to  them  by  Prof.  Safford);  though, 
from  my  observations  in  Kentucky,  I am  strongly  inclined  to 
believe,  with  Prof.  Hilgard,  that  they  are  the  lowest  of  the 
Quaternary  stratified  drift.  The  boring  of  an  artesian  well  is 
being  thought  of  by  the  citizens  of  Mayfield,  and  this,  if  done 


OF  TIIK  .IACICSON's  PURCHASE  UEGION. 

to  several  hundred  feet,  may  go  far  toward  determining  the 
true  age  of  these  interstratified  beds  of  tine  clay  and  sands. 

Prof.  Salford  included  in  the  group  not  only  the  leaf- 
bearing clays,  but  also  the  superlicial  beds  of  sands  be- 
longing to  the  Quaternary  that  spread  themselves  over  the 
country  southward ; but  I have  here  restricted  the  name 
Lagrange  to  the  former,  viz:  the  interstratified  beds  of 
white  sand  and  light  colored  pipe  clays  that  occupy  a 
broad  belt  north  and  south  through  the  central  and  west- 
ern part  of  the  region,  between  the  eastern  and  western 
belts  of  the  lower  lignitic,  and  that  occupy,  as  it  were,  a 
deep  trough  in  that  formation. 

The  belt  has  a width  of  about  twenty-five  miles  on  the 
south,  as  it  enters  the  State  from  Tennessee,  passes  north- 
ward across  Mayfield  creek  to  the  east  of  Blandville,  and 
then  turns  westward  with  very  narrow  limits. 

On  the  west,  along  the  Missisippi  river  bluffs,  it  fills  broad 
gaps  in  the  lower  lignitic  beds,  first  between  the  mouth  of 
the  Obion  and  Chalk  Banks,  then  northward  between  the 
latter  and  the  Columbus  bluffs ; then,  after  passing  these 
bluffs,  it  is  seen  northward  to  a little  beyond  Laketon,  and 
finally  between  Cane  and  Humphrey’s  creeks,  not  in  bluffs, 
but  found  occasionally  in  wells  and  outcrops  in  creeks. 

The  material  forming  the  beds  of  the  formation  are  sands 
and  clays ; the  former  i)redominate,  and  are  usually  made 
up  of  fine  white  non-micaceous  sands,  often  stratified  with 
other  colored  sands.  The  clays  in  some  localities  are  highly 
gypseous,  the  fine  needle-like  crystals  of  which  form  clusters 
throughout  the  clay  bed.  This  is  specially  noticeable  at  Mr. 
Hough’s,  four  miles  south-west  of  Paducah,  on  whose  place 
the  clay  has  a thickness  of  several  feet.  Again,  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  south  of  Benton,  Marshall  county,  it  was  observed 
in  a thinner  bed. 

A strong  point  towards  showing  the  Quaternary  origin  of 
the  Lagrange  group  is  the  ebb  and  flow  structure  peculiar 
to  the  stratified  drift,  which  is  very  prominently  seen  at  Co- 
lumbus in  the  bluffs  north  of  the  town.  It  forms  the  base 
of  the  high  sand  and  clay  bluff.  The  following  sketch  was 
made  of  the  section.  The  laminae  mostly  slope  to  the  north- 
east as  shown. 


54 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


SECTION  SHOWING  IRREGULAR  CROSS  LAMINATION  OF  VARI- 
EGATED SANDS  AT  COLUMBUS,  KY. 


White  pipe  clay 


White  or  slightly  yellow  sand.- 
with  horizontal  ferruginous 
lines  and  cross  lamination 


Purple  sands  with  irregular 
lamination 


White  and  yellow  sands  with 
the  horizontal  lines  marked 
by  ferruginous  matter  . . . 


3 feet. 

12  inches. 
12  inches. 
12  inches. 

24  inches. 

8 inches. 

18  inches. 

6 inches. 
12  inches. 


Tile  bluffs  extending  eastward  or  away  from  the  river,  with 
a south  front,  show  this  clay  and  sand  stratification  very 
well.  The  clay  is  deeply  purple  or  reddish,  varies  from  a few 
inches  to  two  or  three  feet  in  thickness,  the  washing  rains 

spreading  it  over  the  sides  of  the  bluff  and  giving  to  the 

whole  a purplish  color.  The  entire  series  have  a very  per- 
ceptible dip  of  about  ten  degrees  to  the  north-east.  The 
overlying  gravels,  etc.,  are  almost  horizontal. 

On  the  north  side  of  Chalk  Banks  (two  miles  south  of 
Columbus)  the  dark  sandy  lignitic  clays  of  the  foregoing 
formation  are  exposed  at  the  water’s  edge,  and  the  inter- 
stratified  clays  and  sands  of  the  Lagrange  are  well  seen 

from  the  foot  of  the  bluff  to  an  elevation  of  twenty  feet, 

overlaid  by  thick  beds  of  gravel,  etc.  The  clays  are  more  or 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  laiNOlS 
URBANA 


I 


PLAIN,  EAST  OF  COLUMBUS,  HICKMAN  CO.,  KY.  CHALK  BLUFFS  AND  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER 

IN  THE  DISTANCE. 


OK  Tii?:  Jackson’s  purchase  region. 


66 


less  i)urplisli  in  color,  niul  are  in  beds  a lew  indies  thick, 
alternating?  with  thicker  beds  of  sand  from  two  to  four  feet 
thick.  The  sand  bed  is  sprinkled  with  line  clay  particles. 
The  strata  dip  to  the  north-east  as  at  Columbus. 

This  formation  furnishes  chielly  the  large  beds  of  white  and 
colored  clays  that  bear  so  important  a relation  to  economic 
geology.  They  are  very  variable  in  thickness,  from  a few 
inches  to  several  feet.  They  will  be  further  described  in  the 
chapter  on  Economic  Geology. 

Within  the  main  belt  of  the  formation,  exposures  to  any 
depth  are  rather  rare,  as  the  material  is  easily  removed,  and 
the  hill-side  washings  have  very  generally  covered  any  out- 
crops. In  deep  wells,  however,  the  strata  are  penetrated,  and 
it  is  largely  from  this  source  that  I have  been  enabled  to  trace 
the  formation.  As  a rule,  water  is  obtained  either  in  or  just 
below  the  gravel,  the  upper  bed  of  the  Lagrange  series  being 
a thick,  impervious  clay,  which  prevents  the  percolation  of 
water. 

In  the  northern  part  of  Ballard  county,  between  the  Ohio 
river  and  Mayfield  creek,  wells  are  dug  or  bored  to  dejDths 
of  from  forty  to  sixty  feet,  those  at  Woodville  being  over 
one  hundred  feet  in  depth.  It  often  happens  that  no  water 
at  all  is  found,  because  of  the  extreme  thinness  of  the  clay 
beds. 

An  excellent  opportunity  for  studying  the  stratification  of 
the  Lagrange  and  later  formations  is  afforded  by  the  many 
railroad  cuts  along  the  line  of  the  C.,  O.  & S.  W.  R.  R. 
from  Paducah  south  to  Fulton.  Some  of  these  cuts  are  deep 
and  long.  The  first,  at  Bond’s  Station,  shows  only  the  loam 
and  heavy  beds  of  rounded  gravel,  not  stratified.  At  Flor- 
ence Station  the  first  exposure  of  pipe  clay  is  at  the  edge  of 
and  below  the  railroad  track.  It  is  highly  plastic  and  vari- 
egated in  color,  several  feet  thick,  and  underlaid  by  a red 
sand.  South  from  this  the  cuts  usually  show  more  or  less 
clay  beneath  the  gravel  and  loam,  the  gravel  often  cemented 
into  a conglomerate.  At  about  three  miles  from  Boaz  the 
following  section  appears : 


1.  Surface  loam 

2.  Yellow  clay  and  some  gravel • • 

3.  Variegated  clay  holding  a few  small  white  quartz  pebbles 

4.  Yellow  sand 


6 feet. 

2 feet. 
4 feet. 

3 feet. 


56 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  clay  No.  3 is  plastic  when  wet,  but  indurated  when 
dry,  resembling  the  siliceous  earth  from  decomposed  Subcar- 
boniferous  chert. 

A notable  locality  is  in  the  long  and  deep  cut  one  and  a 
bait  miles  north  of  Boaz.  The  clay,  appearing  at  the  base, 
has  an  exposure  of  several  feet,  and  a purple  tint.  The 
nature  of  the  overlying  material  is  shown  in  a section  given 
under  the  discussion  of  the  gravel  beds. 

At  Boaz,  in  an  old  field  just  north  of  the  depot,  the  clays 
again  appear  near  the  surface,  and  at  some  distance  from  the 
bluffs.  The  bed  is  about  three  feet  thick  over  a coarse  sand. 
The  upper  half  is  of  a purjile  color,  the  lower  creamy  white, 
and  both  contain  well  preserved  impressions  of  leaves,  some 
of  which  have  been  submitted  to  the  United  States  Geologi- 
cal Survey  for  identification,  the  result  of  which  will,  I hope, 
appear  in  time  to  be  added  as  an  .appendix  to  this  report. 

At  Pryorsburg,  a bluff  to  the  east  of  town  shows,  beneath 
the  superficial  loam  and  a foot  of  gravel,  the  following  strata: 


1.  Yellow  ocheroiis  clay,  somewhat  plastic,  and  changing  downward  into 

a purple  and  more  compact  variety,  somewhat  sandy 

2.  Highly  colored  purple  joint  clay,  plastic  and  dipping  to  the  north- 

east; in  laminaj  with  a fine  micaceous  sand  (resembles  the  upper 
Cretaceous  beds) 

3.  Light  bluish,  fine  sandy  clay  (white  when  dry) 

4.  Compact  or  indurated,  very  fine  white  siliceous  earth.  The  grains  are 

very  sharp  and  about  one  thousandth  of  an  inch  in  diameter;  thick- 
ness probably 


feet. 


5 feet.  ■ 
2 feet. 


25  feet. 


The  latter  two  beds  resemble  the  lower  portions  of  the 
Cretaceous  as  found  in  the  eastern  part  of  Calloway  county, 
and  seem  to  be  an  outlier  of  that  formation.  Nowhere  else 
in  this  county  have  the  same  character  of  material  been  found 
as  that  of  beds  two,  three  and  four. 

There  is  an  absence  of  the  representatives  of  the  lower  lig- 
nitic  Tertiary  at  this  point ; the  Lagrange  clays  alone  resting 
on  what  seem  to  be  the  Cretaceous. 

The  beds  of  white  pipe  clay  are  not  confined  to  the  central 
region,  but  reach  eastward  of  the  belt  of  lignitic  clays,  in 
somewhat  isolated  areas,  and  are  not  so  much  interlaminated 
with  sands  ; they  are  also  devoid  of  fossil  leaves,  so  far  as  as- 
certained. In  plasticity  and  other  physical  features,  the  clays 


OF  THK  Jackson’s  purchase  ukoion.  f>7 

are  similar  to  the  true  Lagrange  beds;  tliey  overlie  directly 
the  black  li,o;nitic  clays,  as  observed  at  Rufus  Morris’,  three 
miles  east  of  New  Providence,  Calloway  county.  The  upper 
bed  here  has  a thickness  of  about  two  feet,  with  two  inches 
of  white  sand  in  its  upper  part,  a few  pockets  of  sand  in 
terspei'sed  through  the  main  bed,  and  is  underlaid  by  a 
rather  coarse  ferruginous  sand  at  its  base. 

On  the  Tennessee  State  line,  a few  miles  south  of  this,  the 
thinly  bedded  clays  and  sands  are  again  seen  in  a ravine  by 
the  I'oadside,  and  beneath  about  twenty  feet  of  loam  and 
gravel.  A westerly  or  \V.  10  N.  dip  of  the  beds  occurs  in  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  hill  that  rises  from  Concord,  on  the  road 
to  the  south-east  corner  of  the  county.  The  clay  is  in  layers 
of  from  three  to  eight  inches  thick.  At  Russell’s  pottery, 
six  miles  east  of  Murray,  there  is  a thick  deposit  of  these 
clays,  local  in  occurrence,  and  utilized  in  the  manufacture  of 
pottery.  Another  local  deposit  occurs  at  J.  T.  Pugh’s,  three 
miles  east  of  Palma,  also  at  Scale  and  at  Mr.  Burradell’s, 
north  of  Briensburg,  in  Marshall  county. 

At  Bell  City  (or  Howard’s  pottery),  near  me  Tennessee  line, 
several  beds  occur  in  the  hill  sides.  The  upper  parts  of  the 
clay  hold  purplish  sand  concretions.  In  the  southern  part  of 
Graves  county,  three  miles  west  of  Lynnville,  a massive  and 
highly  plastic  clay  shows,  on  a smooth  cross-section,  prettily 
banded  lines.  This  clay  is  used  at  Pitman’s  pottery. 

The  sand  beds  of  the  series  are  seemingly  thickest  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  belt,  and  become  more  and  more  inter- 
laminated  with  clays  as.  we  go  southward  into  Tennessee.  The 
analyses  and  value  of  the  vai’ious  clays  are  given  in  the 
chapter  on  Economic  Geology. 

QUATERNARY. 

The  Quaternary  formation,  as  represented  in  this  portion 
of  the  State,  embraces  the  following  divisions,  beginning  with 
the  uppermost : 

Brown  loam  of  the  table  lands. 

Loess  or  grey  silt  of  river  bluffs. 

Port  Hudson., 

Gravel  beds  and  stratified  drift. 


58 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  formation  overlies  or  caps  the  uplands  of  the  entire 
Purchase  region,  and  even  extends  eastward  upon  the  lower 
highlands  of  the  Subcarboniferous,  between  the  Tennessee  and 
Cumberland  rivers,  in  Livingston  county.  The  two  middle 
divisions  are  limited  in  their  occurrence  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  large  streams,  as  will  be  noticed  under  their  respect- 
ive descrixitions. 

The  several  divisions  are  not  conformable  with  each  other, 
nor  are  they  regular  in  their  deposition  or  thicknesses.  They 
only  partially  till  the  immense  Mississippi  basin,  whose  rim 
on  the  east  of  the  Tennessee  river,  on  the  north  of  the  Ohio 
and  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  is  formed  of  the  old  Pale- 
ozoic rocks,  the  surface  lying  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  below 
the  rim  escarpments. 


GRAVEL  BEDS. 

The  early  part  of  the  Quaternary  period  does  not  seem 
to  have  witnessed  the  deposition  of  its  sand  and  gravel 
material  in  that  stratified  form  that  characterizes  it  in  the 
more  southern  portion  of  the  great  Mississippi  embayment 
basin,  and  to  which  the  term  stTCLtificd  dvift  has  been 
given ; for  we  find  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Purchase 
region,  along  the  Tennessee  river  uplands,  beds  in  which  no 
stratification  appears,  and  which  differ  in  character  from 
.that  of  the  stratified  drift.  Other  beds  also  occur  that  are 
unlike  each  of  these,  and  which  are  also  older  than  the 
stratified  drift.  The  following  divisions  of  the  gravel  beds 
are  made  for  purposes  of  description,  beginning  with  the 
uppermost : 

Stratified  drift. 

Gravel  conglomerate. 

Ore  region  gravel. 

Tennessee  river  gravel. 

The  upper  three  are  characterized  by  the  presence  of  fossils 
of  the  Carboniferous,  the  last  by  their  entire  absence. 

Tennessee  Riter  Gravel.— M some  period  anterior  to  the 
deposition  of  the  great  mass  of  gravel  that  forms  so  promi- 
nent a feature  of  the  Purchase  region,  beds  of  a Avhite  and 
well  rounded,  water-worn  chert  material  were  formed  along 


OK  TIIK  JACKSONS  PURCHASE  REGION. 


59 


tlie  border  uplands  facing  the  Tennessee  river  valley.  They 
are  entirely  devoid  of  fossils,  and  .were  evidently  derived 
from  Subcarboniferous  chert  layers  similar  to  those  that 
occur  througliout  this  border  region,  for  they  are  permeated 
with  the  white  siliceous  earth  that  is  found  with  the  chert, 
the  result  of  the  decomposition  of  the  latter  in  situ.  The 
beds  are  not  continuous,  and  have  been  observed  in  but  f«w 
localities  within  the  State,  west  of  the  river.  They  overlie 
directly  the  Subcarboniferous  beds. 

The  most  southerly  point  at  which  they  have  been  ob- 
served, was  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  Marshall  county,  two 
miles  north-west  of  Aurora,  where  they  were  thrown  out  in 
digging  a well  on"  the  place  of  Mr.  Alford.  The  well  is  in 
a branch  valley,  much  below  the  level  of  the  uplands,  and 
higher  than  the  river  valley.  As  given  by  Mr.  Alford,  the 
following  strata  were  penetra  ted  : 

Brown  loam 

Hard  cement  gravel  * . . 

Loose  cement  gravel  . . 

White  chert  river-gravel 

The  last  was  not  passed  through,  and  no  water  was  ob- 
tained. The  well  had  been  dug  many  years  before,  and  none 
of  the  cement  gravel  could  be  found,  for  examination  and 
comparison  with  that  of  the  stratified  drift.  It  is  more  than 
probable  that  it  belongs  to  the  iron  ore  and  conglomerate 
divisions,  as  given  above.  Angular  chert  of  the  Subcarbon- 
iferous occurs  on  the  hills  west  of  and  high  above  this  local- 
ity, and  a few  large  rounded  quartz  pebbles  or  cobble-stones 
were  found  on  the  hill-sides  on  the  north. 

In  Livingston  county,  on  the  east  of  the  Tennessee  river, 
this  river  gravel  is  found  along  the  line  of  the  C.,  O.  & S. 
W.  R.  R.,  upon  the  hills,  and  forming  deep  beds  in  the  cuts. 
In  the  Cumberland  river  valley  or  water-shed,  they  are  over- 
laid by  the  beds  of  stratified  drift. 

The  valley  of  the  Tennessee  is  deeply  covered  with  the 
micaceous  clays  of  the  Port  Hudson  group,  and  at  no  point 
beneath  these  have  the  beds  of  the  river  gravel  been  found. 

* Lo' ally  called  “cement  gravel”  from  its  tendency  to  form  a conglomerate  on 
■exposure  to  the  weather. 


5 feet. 

5 feet. 
30  feet. 
64  feet. 


60  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

Ore  Region  Gravel. — This  term  is  applied  by  Prof.  Safiford^ 
to  a large  region  of  gravel  deposits  in  West  Tennessee,  which 
contain  large  accumulations  of  iron  ore,  and  are  found  upon 
the  bluffs  of  the  river  and  on  the  uplands  on  either  side, 
extending  westward  for  eight  or  ten  miles.  The  beds  are 
not  continuous,  occurring  only  in  detached  bodies.  To  what 
extent  they  occur  in  Kentucky,  east  of  the  Tennessee  river, 
has  not,  as  yet,  been  ascertained ; but  so  far  as  the  country 
west  of  the  river  is  concerned,  they  are  very  limited,  and 
confined  to  the  near  border  of  the  bluffs  facing  the  river. 

The  gravel  resembles  in  character  that  of  the  stratified 
drift,  in  containing  hornstone  and  fossils  of  the  Carbonifer- 
ous ; but  the  stratification  pecidiar  to  the  drift  is  wanting. 
The  beds  which  are  so  prominent  in  Tennessee,  seem  to  thin 
out  in  Kentucky,  the  only  locality  of  importance  being  in  the 
south-east  corner  of  Calloway  county,  and  but  a few  miles 
from  the  State  line,  where  there  are  several  heavy  deposits, 
two  of  which  each  hold  masses  of  iron  ore.  At  one  of  the  beds 
a furnace  was  operated  many  years  ago,  while  from  the  other 
the  ore  has  been  shipped  to  furnaces  elsewhere.  The  beds 
overlie  the  chert  layers  and  limestone  of  the  Subcarbonifer- 
ous,  as  exposed  in  the  adjoining  bluffs,  and  are  composed  of 
fifteen  feet  of  gravel,  chert  fragments,  and  clay.  Crinoidal 
stems,  large  and  small,  occur  in  greatest  abundance,  while 
throughout  the  mass  are  found  very  many  fine,  almost  micro- 
scopic crystals  of  pellucid  quartz,  in  part  of  the  smoky  vari- 
ety, and  with  both  terminals  perfect.  The  iron  ore  is  partly 
in  plate  form  and  partly  concretionary,  varying  from  one  to 
eight  inches  in  thickness.  Some  masses  are  much  larger. 

A few  miles  north  of  these  beds  we  find  the  large  quartz- 
ose  sandstones  of  an  older  formation  (Onandaga?),  with  their 
upper  portions  embedded  in  this  gravel.  The  latter  is  fre- 
quently cemented  to  the  sides  of  the  rock  by  iron  oxide,  the 
cementing  line  being  quite  horizontal,  and  the  iron  having,  in 
places,  permeated  for  several  inches  into  the  sandstone,  pro- 
ducing at  first  a dark  stain,  which  fades  gradually  toward 
the  interior  of  the  rock. 

In  other  parts  of  the  Purchase  counties  the  presence  of 


Geology  of  Tennessee,  page  434. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  purchase  region. 


G1 


tliis  Quaternary  iron  ore  marks  tlie  near  oocurrence  of  either 
Snboarboniferons  chert  layers,  or  of  the  hard  qnartzose  sand- 
stone, whose  outcrops  are  found  in  a line  extending  north- 
westward from  the  above  point,  through  the  town  of  Murray, 
and  through  the  southern  and  western  parts  of  McCracken 
county,  to  the  Grand  Chain  on  tlie  Ohio,  and  the  Onandaga 
sandstone  region  of  Illinois ; for  it  is  oi>ly  at  these  points 
that  it  has  been  found  in  masses  of  any  prominence. 

Gravel  Conglomerate. — In  the  south-east  part  of  Calloway 
county  there  is  a large  area  in  which  the  gravel  is  cemented 
into  a very  firm  and  hard  conglomerate,  from  five  to  ten  feet 
in  thickness.  It  underlies  the  surface  loam  upon  the  uplands 
east  of  Murray,  between  the  East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river  and 
Blood  river,  forming  an  almost  continuous  ledge  between 
these  streams,  and  from  the  Tennessee  State  line  northward, 
for  twelve  or  more  miles,  becoming  more  and  more  broken  up 
toward  Hico  and  the  southern  part  of  Marshall  county.  It 
is  found  also  at  other  isolated  points,  especially  eastward  and 
northward.  The  rock  usually  caps  the  beds  of  gravel,  and,  a 
mile  south  of  New  Providence,  is  seventy-five  feet  above  the 
quartzose  sandstone,  which  outcrops  in  the  bed  of  a branch. 

The  rock  is  usually  dark  or  blackish,  the  individual  gravel 
well  rounded,  the  interstices  filled  with  dark  sand,  and  the 
whole  very  strongly  cemented  together  with  iron  oxide,  mak- 
ing a conglomerate  not  readily  disintegrated  by  exposure. 
The  fracture  of  the  rock  is  even,  and  directly  through  the 
gravel,  as  if  the  whole  had  been  homogeneous  in  structure. 

To  the  north-westward  small  fragments  of  it  are  found  in 
the  gravel  beds  of  the  stratified  drift,  one  piece,  found  five 
miles  south  of  Paducah,  containing  several  cubic  feet,  its 
edges  being  somewhat  water- worn,  as  if  transported  from  a 
distance. 

The  conglomerate  seems  to  have  extended  originally  north- 
westward and  northward,  into  Illinois,  and  to  have  been  very 
generally  disintegrated,  for  fragments  are  frequently  seen, 
and  in  the  bluffs  at  Joppa  and  Metropolis,  on  the  Illinois 
shore,  large  beds  outcrop  in  the  bluffs  and  in  the  river.  It  is 
also  confined  almost  entirely  to  that  part  of  the  region  lying 
east  of  the  line  of  the  Onandaga  quartzite  occurrences,  al- 


62 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


ready  described.  Conglomerates,  more  recently  formed,  occur 
throughout  the  region  of  the  stratified  drift,  but  they  lack 
that  firmness  and  siliceous  cement  that  characterizes  the  rocks 
just  described.  They  also  break  unevenly,  and  the  gravel  is 
usually  released,  in  its  rounded  unbroken  state,  from  the 
cementing  iron  oxide. 

Near  Baltimore,  five  miles  west  of  Wingo,  Graves  county, 
there  is  an  exposure  of  conglomerate  very  similar  in  char- 
acter to  the  above ; it  is  in  heavy  ledges,  fifteen  feet  thick, 
the  gravel  very  coarse  and  red,  and  mixed  with  crinoidal 
stems. 

On  the  upland  bluffs  of  the  East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river, 
near  its  junction  with  the  West  Fork,  the  conglomerate  again 
appears,  covering  an  area  of  about  three  acres.  It  is  massive 
and  much  broken  up  into  large  fragments. 

A most  interesting  locality,  showing  how  this  massive  and 
heavy  bedded  rock  may  be  broken  up  by  the  undermining  and 
removal  of  underlying  sand  beds,  is  to  be  seen  at  the  crossing 
of  Big  Sugar  Tree  creek,  six  miles  north-east  of  Murray, 
Calloway  county,  on  the  Newburg  road.  On  either  side  of 
the  creek  valley,  in  the  bluffs  one-half  mile  apart,  are  huge 
ledges  of  the  gravel  conglomerate,  fifteen  feet  thick,  over- 
lying  seventy-five  feet  of  white  and  reddish  micaceous  sands, 
belonging  to  the  Cretaceous  formation.  Ten  feet  of  brown 
loam  caps  the  conglomerate,  giving  to  the  valley  a depth  of 
at  least  one  hundred  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  bordering 
uplands.  Within  this  valley  are  very  large  masses  of  the 
rock  scattered  here  and  there,  some  standing  nearly  on  edge, 
and  others  nearly  horizontal,  and  giving  to  this  large  valley 
region,  one-half  mile  wide  and  nearly  the  same  in  length, 
an  appearance  of  wildness  so  unusual  to  this  country,  that 
it  has  received  the  name  of  “The  Volcano”  from  Esquire 
Mahan,  on  whose  place  it  occurs. 

The  locality  furnishes  a splendid  illustration  of  how  the 
surface  of  a country  may  suffer  degradation,  and  its  rocks 
be  broken  down,  disintegrated  and  carried  away,  even  when 
they  otherwise  could  hardly  be  affected  by  weathering.  This 
ledge  of  conglomerate  was  once  evidently  continuous  from 
bluff  to  bluff,  across  this  valley,  and  supported  by  the  under- 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puuchask  kkoion. 


63 


lying  bed  of  sand.  At  some  time  these  sands  were  washed 
away,  perliaps  gradually,  by  some  small  stream  from  the 
north,  that  had  found  its  way,  by  percolation  through  the 
bed  ; or  possibly  by  heavier  floods  that  have  acted  quickly 
and  suddenly,  not  only  in  this,  but  also  in  other  localities, 
bearing  away  gravel  and  conglomerate  fragments  to  be 
deposited  f^lsewhere.  The  sand  being  thus  removed  from 
beneath  the  conglomerate,  there  remained  an  immense  cave 
over  which  the  rock  formed  a natural  covering,  whose  great 
thickness  and  compact  structure  held  it  up  until  the  dis- 
tance between  the  end  supports  became  too  great,  or  until 
some  central  column  of  sand  was  washed  away,  when  the 
whole  fell  in,  breaking  up  into  immense  fragments,  many 
of  which  have  since  suffered  disintegration,  yielding  great 
piles  or  mounds  of  gravel  which  still,  in  part,  remain. 

The  Stratified  Drift. — The  material  of  this,  the  oldest  di- 
vision, reaches  very  nearly  over  the  whole  of  the  uplands 
of  the  Purchase,  and  overlies  directly,  or  is  spread  over  the 
Subcarboniferous,  Cretaceous,  and  Tertiary  formations. 

Before  the  deposition  of  the  Quaternary  material  the  sur- 
face of  the  basin  was  made  very  uneven,  by  the  wearing  action 
of  the  currents  of  the  three  large  rivers  that  poured  their 
waters  into  it  from  the  north-west,  north-east  and  south-east, 
as  well  as  by  many  other  minor  currents  induced  by  these, 
in  the  then  shallow  sea  or  embayment.  Thus  were  formed 
the  valleys  along  these  streams. 

The  Tennessee  river,  in  its  northward  course,  confined  be- 
tween the  high  walls  of  Subcarboniferous  limestone,  and 
suddenly  deflected  to  the  west,  entered  the  basin  at  a point 
where  Big  Cypress  creek  now  unites  with  it,  in  the  northern 
part  of  Marshall  county.  The  force  of  its  current  would 
naturally  produce  a trough  to  westward,  and,  united  with 
the  current  of  the  Ohio  river,  which  was  also  deflected  from 
a southerly  to  a westward  course  by  the  limestone  bluffs  of 
Livingston  county,  a few  miles  east  of  the  present  site  of  Pa- 
ducah, was  amply  sufficient  to  excavate  the  broad  lowland 
region,  known  as  the  Ohio  flats  or  valley,  that  reaches  a lit- 
tle north  of  west  for  twenty-five  miles,  that  river  still  skirt- 
ing its  northern  border.  The  depth  of  this  trough,  where  the 


64 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


currents  of  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  rivers  united,  viz:  where 
Paducah  now  stands,  was  about  forty- three  feet  below  the 
present  level,  as  shown  in  the  well  of  the  water-works.  The 
depth  is  also  greater  here  than  to  westward,  where  the  force 
of  the  current  was  probably  broken,  as  it  cut  through  the 
Tertiary  black  and  heavy  joint  clays  below  the  Grand  Chain, 
whose  ])owers  of  resistance  were  much  greater  than  the  more 
sandy  Cretaceous  strata  which  it  first  met.  It  is  also  proba- 
ble that  additional  resistance  was  afforded  in  the  region  of 
Grand  Chain,  by  the  Paleozoic  limestones  and  sandstones, 
which  even  now  rise  above  low-water  level  of  the  Ohio  at 
that  place.  In  this  portion  of  the  trough  the  lower  edge  of 
the  Quaternary  gravel  is  not  more  than  thirty  feet  below  the 
present  country  surface.  On  the  south  side  of  this  trough 
the  Tertiary  and  older  beds  rise  many  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  the  flats,  thus  giving  to  the  original  trough  a depth 
of  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet. 

The  width  of  the  trough  is  from  three  to  five  miles,  the 
outline  of  the  southern  border  being  irregular.  At  Paducah 
it  reaches  south  for  ten  miles  in  a narrowing  belt,  and  in 
an  almost  direct  line  with  the  course  of  the  Ohio  river  where 
it  enters  the  basin.  A portion  of  the  force  of  the  current  of 
this  river,  therefore,  seems  to  have  cut  southward,  as  well  as 
westward,  through  the  Cretaceous  clays,  until  it  met  the  more 
intractable  joint  clays,  and  was  deflected,  along  the  foot  of 
their  bed,  to  north-westward.  The  wearing  action  was  not 
very  great,  for  we  find  the  bed  of  the  trough  to  be  very 
shallow.  The  black  joint  clays  are  seen  along  the  banks 
of  Clark’s  river,  from  Lyell’s  mill,  the  extreme  end  of  the 
trough,  for  several  miles  northward,  and  but  a few  feet  be- 
low the  level  of  the  flats,  while  the  same  clays  outcrop 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above  that  level,  in  the  border  hills 
near  Hard  Money,  Florence  Station,  and  south-west  of  Pa- 
ducah. 

It  is  more  than  [)robable  that  the  Mississippi  river,  with 
its  greater  volume  of  water,  had  also  excavated,  southward, 
a still  deeper  trough  in  the  Tertiary  clays  underneath  the 
now  broad  bottom  lands  of  Missouri.  Along  the  border 
bluffs  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  on  the  east,  and  in 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


65 


those  of  Crowley’s  ridge  of  the  Arkansas  border  on  the 
west,  tlie  Tertiary  clays  rise  as  high  as  seventy-five  or 
eighty  feet  above  low-water  of  the  river. 

It  is  possible  that  the  original  corrosion  occurred  further 
west  than  the  present  course  of  the  river,  and  that,  since 
the  deposition  of  the  Quaternary  beds,  the  river  current  has 
been  rapidly  cutting  the  eastern  bluffs  to  their  present  out- 
lines. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  time  of  the  stratified  drift,  the  gen- 
eral surface  of  the  country  within  this  basin  was  from  one 
hundred  to  one  liundred  and  fifty  feet  higher  on  the  south- 
east, than  on  the  west  or  north,  the  elevation  above  the 
present  level  of  the  sea  being  a little  more  than  five  hun- 
dred feet  in  Calloway  county,  falling  to  four  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  along  the  ridge  east  of  Mayfield  creek,  and  in  the 
southern  part  of  Marshall  county  to  four  hundred  feet  west 
of  Mayfield  creek  to  Milburn  (or  within  a few  miles  of  Co- 
lumbus), and  in  the  northern  half  of  Ballard  county,  at 
Blandville,  Hinkleville  and  Woodville  (outside  of  the  deep 
Ohio  trough  already  mentioned),  and  to  three  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  at  Columbus  and  points  south-east.  At  Hick- 
man, and  southward,  the  country  again  rose  to  about  four 
hundred  feet.  These  figures  are  the  approximate  altitudes 
of  the  base  of  the  gravel  beds  above  present  sea  level. 

The  material  of  the  stratified  drift  comprises  rounded  or 
water- worn  sands  and  coarse  gravel,  deposited  in  thin,  alter- 
nating layers,  or  in  thick  beds  which  show  more  or  less  the 
stratified  structure.  The  gravel  is  the  most  prominent  fea- 
ture of  the  beds,  and  is  derived  almost  entirely  from  the 
chert  beds  of  the  Subcarboniferous,  the  fragments  being 
rounded  or  having  their  edges  worn  off  by  attrition  with 
each  other  in  water  during  transportation,  and  varying  in 
size  from  the  fraction  of  an  inch  to  several  inches  in  di- 
ameter. Many  small  and  prettily  rounded  white  and  col- 
ored quartz  pebbles  are  found  associated  with  the  gravel, 
and  are,  doubtless,  from  the  Carboniferous  conglomerate, 
whose  waste  material  from  the  degradation  of  the  country 
is  found  very  frequently  in  the  interior  of  the  State.  There 
are  found  in  the  beds  occasional  large  fragments  of  chert — 

GEOL.  SUR. — 5. 


(JO  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

as  much  as  a six-inch  cube  in  size— whose  edges  do  not  show 
any  traces  of  wear,  and  also  fragments  of  gravel  conglome- 
rate that  have  evidently  been  broken  from  those  larger  masses, 
already  described.  In  some  localities  the  gravel  is  inclined 
to  be  soft,  and  easily  crushed  by  the  hand  ; but  in  general 
it  is  quite  firm  and  hard,  bearing  a crushing  weight  of  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  pounds,  and  much  of 
it  still  more,  when  ai)plied  directly  to  the  single  piece.  Horn- 
stone  is  another  constituent  of  these  gravel  beds,  and  varies 
in  color  from  nearly  white  to  red.  They,  too,  are  much 
rounded,  but  not  so  much  so  as  the  quartz  pebbles. 

Petrified  wood,  which  is  so  characteristic  of  the  Quater- 
nary gravel  in  the  States  further  south,  and  especially  in 
Texas,  is  very  seldom  found  here.  A large  piece,  measuring 
a couple  of  feet  in  length  and  two  by  four  inches  in  its 
cross  section,  was  picked  up  near  the  G-rand  Chain  in  the 
Ohio  river  west  of  Paducah,  and  a few  small  pieces  have  been 
reported  as  having  been  found  in  gravel  beds  in  other  parts 
of  the  Purchase.  Silicilied  Subcarboniferous  fossils  and  fossil 
casts  occur  abundantly  in  the  cherty  gravel ; crinoidal  stems 
of  many  varieties  and  sizes  being  especially  numerous,  both 
in  the  loose  state  and  in  the  gravel  fragments.  Next  in 
occurrence  are  the  lace-like  favosites  and  spirifers.  A trilo- 
bite  cast  was  picked  up  from  the  gravel  at  Milburn,  in  south 
Ballard  county. 

A prominent  feature  of  these  beds,  and  one  which  often 
gives  to  them  an  economic  importance,  is  the  presence  of 
red  oxide  of  iron  which  has  permeated  the  mass,  staining 
the  gravel  and  sand  a red  color  of  various  intensity,  and 
very  frequently,  in  combination  with  clay,  forming  a cement- 
ing material  which,  on  exposure,  produces  a firm  gravel 
conglomerate.  The  streets  of  Paducah  are  graded  with  this 
gravel,  and  are  quite  firm  and  compact,  bearing  up  heavily 
loaded  wagons. 

Another  result  of  this  cementing  property  is  seen  in  the 
massive  red  sandstones,  found  in  several  portions  of  the  Pur- 
chase region  where  the  gravel  is  absent. 

For  the  examination  of  cross  sections  of  the  loam  and  gravel 
beds,  and  as  showing  the  irregularities,  both  in  material  and 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


07 


lines  of  deposition  and  relations  to  underlying  clays,  the 
various  railroad  cuts  alford  excellent  opportunities.  The  fol- 
lowing section  is  taken  from  a cnt  on  the  C.,  O.  & S.  W.  R. 
H.,  one  and  a half  miles  north  of  Boaz,  Graves  county. 
The  cnt  is  about  twenty  feet  deep  and  more  than  one  hun- 
dred yards  long; 


Area  Cohered  by  the  Stratified  Drift. — As  has  been  already 
stated,  the  sand  and  gravel  beds  cover  the  entire  Purchase 
counties,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tennessee  river  valley 
and  that  part  of  the  Subcarboniferous  highlands  adjoining  it 
on  the  west,  whose  altitude  is  above  the  general  level  of  the 
gravel  beds.  Other  exceptions  are  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
many  streams  which  have  been  excavated  since  the  depo- 
sition of  the  gravel,  and  now  lie  many  feet  below  the  latter ; 
the  deep  gullies  and  ravines  that  have  been  washed  out  in 
the  hill-sides  bordering  these  streams  often  expose  the  gravel 
and  sand. 

So  far  as  known,  no  gravel  lies  beneath  that  part  of  the 
Mississippi  river  bottom  embraced  in  this  State  north  of 
Hickman,  the  present  bluffs  having  formerly  extended  much 
further  westward,  and  been  cut  away  subsequent  to  the  dep- 
osition of  the  gravel.  West  of  Hickman,  near  the  foot  of 
Island  No.  8,  gravel  was  found,  in  the  borings  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River  Commission,  to  a depth  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-one  feet.  Nearer  the  bluffs  south  of  Hickman  no  ex- 
amination of  strata  below  the  surface  of  the  alluvium  has 
been  made. 

Deposition  of  the  Graeet. — The  depth  of  the  gravel  beds 
throughout  the  Purchase  region  varies  greatly,  but  is,  within 
certain  areas,  quite  constant.  These  different  areas  are  shown 
on  the  accompanying  map.  The  area  of  greatest  depth,  viz : 


68 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


thirty  feet  and  upwards,  occurs  on  the  south-east,  in  Cal- 
loway and  south  Marshall  counties,  with  an  additional  smaller 
area  on  the  ui)lands  immediately  east  of  Mayfield.  The 
former  of  these  has  approximate  diameters  of  about  sixteen 
by  eight  miles,  the  longest  lying  in  a north-west  and  south- 
east course. 

Another  belt  in  which  the  beds  are  from  twenty-jive  to  thirty 
feet  in  thickness,  enters  the  State  from  Tennessee,  passes  north- 
westward, through  the  comities  of  Calloway  and  Marshall 
into  the  south-east  corner  of  McCracken.  It  has  an  average 
width  of  about  ten  miles,  except  in  Marshall  county,  where 
it  spreads  out  abruptly  on  either  side  for  five  or  six  miles, 
again  becoming  very  narrow  to  north-westward.  Westward, 
along  the  north  side  of  Mayfield  creek  to  the  Mississip])i 
river  valley  or  bottom,  there  is  a very  narrow  belt  of  gravel 
of  the  same  thickness,  whose  beds  form  precipitous  bluffs  and 
are  well  exposed.  The  belt  was,  doubtless,  originally  wider, 
and  has  been  cut  away  by  tlie  encroachment  of  some  strong 
current  from  the  south,  for  we  find  on  the  south  side  of  the 
creek  a gradual  rise  from  the  bottom  lands  to  southward,  and 
an  entire  absence  of  beds  of  gravel  more  than  three  to  five  feet 
in  thickness.  The  continuity  of  this  narrow  belt  with  the 
large  area  before  mentioned  is  interrupted  by  beds  of  less 
thickness  upon  the  high  ridge  that  separates  Mayfield  creek 
and  the  West  Fork  of  Clark’s  river.  There  may  once  have 
been  a continuation  of  the  narrow  belt  of  deep  gravel  south- 
ward to  Mayfield,  where,  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  we 
now  find  the  beds  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  thickness 
reaching  eastward ; and  it  is  also  possible  that  the  narrow 
belt  of  gravel  of  about  ten  feet  thickness,  that  extends  a 
short  distance  northward  from  Mayfield  along  the  west  side 
of  the  creek,  may  be  but  a remnant  from  the  degradation  of 
this  supposed  heavy  and  continuous  belt,  for  the  supervening 
country  is  much  lower  than  the  gravel  bluffs,  and  the  now 
existing  gap  is  but  eight  miles. 

On  the  Mississippi  river  bluffs  at  Columbus,  and  two 
miles  south,  at  the  “chalk  banks,”  there  are  other  isolated 
areas  of  beds  having  a thickness  of  twenty-five  feet;  but 
elsewhere  in  this  part  of  the  Purchase  region  the  gravel 
is  much  thinner. 


OF  THK  Jackson's  puiumiase  region.  C59 

Large  areas  of  gravel,  whose  beds  liave  a thickness  of  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet^  occur  on  the  east  of  the  heavier  beds 
just  described,  reaching,  in  ])laces,  almost  to  the  brow  of  the 
highlands  facing  the  Tennessee  river  valley,  and  northward 
to  the  border  of  that  valley  at  Calvert  City,  and  ten  miles 
westward.  These  beds  are  all  on  the  highlands,  and  are  often 
exposed  in  the  deep  washes  and  ravines.  North-westward 
from  Clark’s  river,  to  and  beyond  Paducah,  beds  of  this 
thickness  are  found  at  a much  lower  level  within  the  trough 
of  the  Ohio  river,  already  alluded  to,  and  thirty  feet  below 
the  surface  at  Paducah,  as  shown  in  the  well  of  the  water- 
works. Within  the  region  of  fiats  south  of  Paducah,  the 
beds  are  not  so  thick,  and  come  nearer  the  surface,  while 
westward,  along  the  flats  for  several  miles,  and  upon  the 
highlands  south-westward,  beds  of  fifteen  feet  thickness  are 
frequently  exposed ; west  of  Mayfleld  and  Massac  creeks,  such 
thicknesses  very  rarely  occur. 

The  gravel  beds  thin  out  to  broad  areas  of  from  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  thickness  to  the  eastward,  westward,  and  north- 
ward from  the  heavy  deposits  already  described.  Such  beds 
are  found  in  the  eastern  part  of  Marshall  county  in  a narrow 
belt  extending  sonthward,  widening  to  a width  of  several 
miles  in  south-east  Marshall  and  north-east  Calloway,  and 
separated  from  the  brow  of  the  Tennessee  river  highlands 
by  thinner  deposits.  In  south  Calloway,  and  thence  in  a 
belt  from  six  to  eight  miles  in  width,  extending  north-west 
to  Mayfield,  in  Graves  county,  there  is  a very  large  area  of 
these  beds,  Harris  Grove  and  Farmington  lying  near  the 
south-west  edge  of  the  belt.  Beyond  Mayfleld  creek,  upon 
a dividing  ridge,  the  beds  become  thinner ; but  we  find 
westward  from  Wingo,  to  and  beyond  Baltimore,  another 
narrow  region  in  which  a thickness  of  ten  feet  is  maintained. 
Going  northward,  on  the  east  side  of  Mayfield  creek,  these 
beds  occupy  a narrow  belt  upon  the  bluffs  from  Hickory 
Grove  and  Boaz  to  Collierville ; and  again,  still  northward, 
within  the  Clark’s  river  flats,  and  nearly  to  Massac  creek, 

south-west  of  Paducah.  North-westward  within  the  Ohio 

• 

flats  (or  beneath  the  Port  Hudson  clays),  opposite  the  town 
of  Metropolis,  Illinois,  the  gravel  has  a thickness  of  but 


70 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


three  or  five  feet  for  a few  miles ; but  in  north-west  Mc- 
Cracken and  north  Ballard  we  find  a large  area  beneath  the 
superficial  clays  in  which  the  deposits  are  ten  or  more  feet 
thick. 

With  the  exception  of  comparatively  small  areas  lying 
south  and  west  of  Paducah,  in  which  the  gravel  has  a depth 
of  jim  feet  and  upward,  the  remainder  or  western  half  of 
the  Purchase  region,  embracing  the  greater  part  of  Ballard, 
west  McCracken,  Hickman,  and  west  and  south  Graves,  has 
a very  thin  deposit  of  not  more  than  three  feet,  thinning  out 
to  southward  and  south  westward,  until  in  south-west  Hick- 
man, and  over  the  entire  uplands  of  Fulton,  it  is  almost  en- 
tirely missing.  A line  marking  the  separation  between  this 
and  the  heavier  beds  would  pass  from  the  Tennessee  State 
line,  east  of  Crossland,  north-westward  to  Mayfield  creek ; 
thence,  following  the  east  side  of  that  creek  until  after  the 
latter  has  accomplished  its  westerly  bend,  the  line  would 
pass  quite  abruptly  northward  to  the  Ohio,  at  Metropolis, 
skipping,  however,  the  very  heavy  beds  of  Mayfield  creek. 

A line  marking  approximately  the  limits  of  the  gravel 
would  leave  the  Tennessee  State  line  about  four  miles  east 
of  the  town  of  Fulton,  and  pass  north-westward  to  McLeod's 
Bluff,  on  Obion  creek,  seven  miles  south  of  Columbus.  The 
immediate  bluffs  facing  the  Mississippi  bottom,  from  the 
town  of  Hickman  southward,  contain  a thin  bed  of  gravel, 
and  there  is  another  small  area  of  thin  beds  near  Cayce  Sta- 
tion, but  otherwise  in  this  part  of  the  Purchase  the  gravel 
is  entirely  replaced  by  sand.  There  are  also  other  small 
areas  along  the  Tennessee  State  line  eastward  from  Fulton, 
in  which  the  gravel  is  missing,  as  between  Crossland  and 
Terrapin  creek,  east  of  Boydsville,  and  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Cuba,  Graves  county. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  map  that  these  gravel  beds,  in 
their  several  areas  of  thin  and  thick  deposition,  have  a 
general  north-west  and  south-east  course,  and  are  thickest 
on  the  south-east ; and  that  the  heavy  beds  are  almost  en- 
tirely confined  to  the  eastern  half  of  the  Purchase  coun- 
ties, while  in  the  western  half  they  ai’e  very  thin,  and  to 
south-westward  disappear  almost  entirely,  the  country  being 


oi<’  THE  Jackson’s  puuchask  ueoion. 


71 


more  elevated  than  on  the  north.  The  gravel  also  is  liner 
on  the  west,  and  especially  near  the  border,  where  it  disap- 
pears. 

Along  the  bluffs  facing  the  Tennessee  river  valley,  where 
the  Snbcarboniferons  beds  rise  higli  above  the  valley,  the 
gravel  is  quite  thin  and  tine,  and  often  is  not  found  at  all, 
the  superficial  brown  loam  being  the  only  representative  of 
the  Quaternary  formation. 

Going  eastward  from  the  Tennessee  river,  in  Livingston 
county,  along  the  line  of  the  C.,  0.  & S.  W.  R.  R.,  nothing 
but  limestone  hills  are  observed  for  the  first  mile ; but  still 
eastward,  and  covering  bills  one  hundred  feet  above  the  rail- 
road track,  are  heavy  deposits  of  a white  water-worn  cherty 
gravel  belonging  to  the  earlier  river  deposits,  as  already 
noticed  near  Aurora,  Marshall  county.  Still  eastward,  mas- 
sive gravel  conglomerate  rocks,  five  feet  in  thickness,  and 
with  surfaces  thirty  by  fifteen  feet,  appear  above  the  white 
gravel.  They  resemble  the  conglomerates  that  underlie  so 
large  an  area  in  south-east  Calloway  county.  A mile  east- 
ward are  exposed,  for  the  first  time,  beds  of  the  gravel  and 
sand  of  the  stratified  drift  in  a railroad  cut  one  mile  from 
the  Cumberland  river  bridge.  At  the  base  of  the  cut  is  a 
bed  of  the  white  river-gravel  five  feet  in  thickness ; over 
it  a bed  of  red  sand,  from  five  to  ten  feet  thick,  and  over 
this,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  cut,  ten  or  twelve  feet  of 
yellow  hornstone  and  chert  gravel.  The  latter  rests  upon 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  hill,  and  thins  out  to  a thickness 
of  twelve  inches  at  its  foot,  the  whole  being  overlaid  by 
brown  loam.  Keokuk  geodes  are  found  in  the  upper  gravel 
bed  at  this  place ; thence  eastward,  to  the  Cumberland  river, 
these  upper  or  hornstone  gravel  beds  are  frequently  seen, 
and  usually  have  an  easterly  slope  toward  the  river. 

Sand  and  Sandstone. — Along  the  border  of  the  great  gravel 
region,  the  beds  of  gravel  thin  out,  and  give  place  to  heavy 
deposits  of  red  and  yellow  sands  of  the  stratified  drift.  The 
latter  are  also  found  occasionally  within  the  territory  of  the 
gravel,  especially  in  the  western  half  of  the  Purchase  counties, 
Avhere  the  gra\  el  is  very  thin.  Along  the  bluffs  reaching  north 
from  Columbus,  on  the  line  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad, 


72 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


to  and  a little  beyond  Laketon,  in  Ballard  county,  they  are 
found  above  the  sands  and  clays  of  the  Lagrange  group. 
The  beds  are  often  permeated  with  iron  oxide,  which  gives 
to  them  a reddish  color,  and  frequently  cements  the  mass 
together  into  a more  or  less  hard  sandstone.  In  portions  of 
the  beds,  as  near  Laketon  and  Wicklitfe,  respectively,  the 
sand  is  hyaline  in  character,  and  the  grains  of  some  of  the 
dark-red  sandstones,  when  rubbed  in  the  hand  or  otherwise 
cleared  of  the  adherent  iron  oxide  or  rust,  are  found  to  be 
of  the  same. 

Another  feature  of  these  sands  is  the  presence  of  small 
particles  of  white  chert,  which  give  to  the  bed  and  to  the 
sandstone  a speckled  appearance.  Rocks  of  this  character 
are  found  a short  distance  north  of  Berkeley,  on  the  M.  & 
O.  R.  R.,  also  three  miles  east  of  Arlington,  in  Ballard 
county, , and  again,  a few  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Clinton, 
Hickman  county,  where  the  sandstone  forms  a ledge  six  or 
more  feet  thick.  The  rocks  of  these  three  localities  resemble 
each  other  very  closely,  being  largely  composed  of  hyaline 
sand  and  sprinkled  with  the  particles  of  white  chert.  That 
from  the  latter  place  is  utilized  in  Clinton  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  as  foundation  stones  for  small  houses,  as  it 
disintegrates  but  very  slowly,  and  is  quite  firm.  Portions  of 
the  bed  are,  however,  still  quite  soft. 

The  red  sand  usually  underlies  the  gravel  wherever  they 
occur  together,  and  in  the  heavier  beds  forms  thin  layers  as 
part  of  the  stratification  characteristic  of  the  drift. 

A prominent  feature  of  the  thick  sand  beds  is  the  occur- 
rence of  rounded  lumps  of  white  or  variegated  pipe  clay, 
which,  at  the  time  of  the  sand  deposition,  were  evidently 
loosened  from  the  underlying  clay  beds  of  the  Lagrange 
group,  and  were  rounded  by  the  action  of  disturbed  waters 
and  embedded  in  these  sands.  Such  features  are  met  with 
occasionally  in  Ballard  and  Hickman  counties,  and  in  Cal- 
loway, a few  miles  east  of  Murray,  where  a broad  valley  has 
been  cut  through  the  gravel  conglomerate  into  the  under- 
lying material,  probably  previous  to  the  deposition  of  the 
stratified  drift,  to  be  partially  refilled  by  the  sands  and  the 
clay  lumps  which  were,  doubtless,  derived  from  the  clay  beds 
that  underlie  the  conglomerate. 


OF  THE  Jackson's  fukchase  ufjhon. 


73 


PORT  HUDSON  GROUP. 

This  formation  in  Kentucky  appears  to  comprise  two  dis- 
tinct beds — a lower  one  made  nj)  of  dark  blue  or  blackish 
clays,  which  underlie  the  bottom  alluvial  lands  of  the  large 
rivers ; and  an  upper  bed  of  greyish  or  dark  micaceous  loam 
of  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  river  valleys. 

Blue  Clays, — Beneath  the  alluvial  loam  of  the  Mississippi 
river  bottom,  and  at  a depth  of  several  feet,  there  are  beds 
of  dark  clays  which,  in  their  character,  strongly  resemble 
those  of  the  Port  Hudson  group,  as  first  described  by  Prof, 
p].  W.  Hilgard  in  his  Keport  on  the  Geology  of  Louisiana. 
They  have  been  identified  in  the  river  bottom  lands  in  Ar- 
kansas, and,  from  the  strong  resemblance  between  them 
and  the  Kentucky  clays,  I have  referred  the  latter  to  that 
formation.  They  are  best  exposed  in  the  banks  of  the  river 
at  Columbus,  when  the  water  is  low,  and  also  at  Wickliffe, 
a few  miles  south  of  Cairo. 

At  the  former  place  the  following  section  was  observed: 


Surface  of  sandy  loam  and  recently  deposited  material 

Dark  to  black  alluvial  loam 

Still’ clay,  sandy  and  crumbling,  and  holding  seams  of  lighter  sand  . 

Dark  and  heavy  crumbling  clay,  stiffer  than  the  above 

Somewhat  bluish,  heavy  and  crumbling  clay,  very  stiff,  and  holding  white 
calcareous  concretions;  reaching  to  water’s  edge 


1 foot. 

2 feet. 
8 feet. 

3 feet. 

6 feet. 


The  clays  of  the  last  two  beds  are  highly  plastic,  some- 
what mottled  in  color,  cut  smoothly  when  wet,  and  crumble 
readily  when  dry,  strongly  resembling  the  buckshot  clays  of 
the  river  bottom  in  Mississippi  and  Louisiana.  Small  pieces 
of  blackish  semi-lignitized  wood  appear  in  the  clays  at  Wick- 
liffe, and  also  near  the  bluffs,  two  miles  south  of  Columbus. 
At  the  latter  place  the  Tertiary  stratum  rises  from  the  water’s 
edge,  and,  as  at  the  bluffs  immediately  north  of  Columbus, 
cuts  in  two  the  otherwise  almost  continuous  beds  of  the  Port 
Hudson  and  alluvium. 

Another  feature  of  the  Port  Hudson  group,  both  here  and 
in  the  States  south,  is  the  presence  of  cypress  knees  and 
logs  within  the  clays,  and  covered  by  the  later  alluvial  de- 
posit. They  are  seen  all  along  the  river  bank,  from  Hick- 


74 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


man  to  the  Chalk  Banks  south  of  Columbus,  and  more  rarely 
northward.  At  Wickliffe  the  river  banks  show  the  following 


section  at 

low  water: 

Alluvial  loam  with  recent  .stumps  

G feet. 

r Stiff  blue  plastic  clay  dippins;  to  the  east 

Silty  or  loamy  strata,  with  ferruginous  concretions  .... 

8 inches. 

1 foot. 

Fort  Hudson  - 

Light  blue  plastic  clay,  with  rootlets  and  pieces  of  ligni- 
tized  wood;  some  of  the  clay  quite  dark;  exposed  to 

water’s  edge 

2 feet. 

Cypress  stumps  j^enetrate  this  blue  clay  from  below. 

The  elevation  of  these  beds  above  sea  level  is  about  three 
hundred  feet.  Along  the  Ohio  river  the  beds  extend,  on  the 
Kentucky  shore,  to  and  beyond  the  Grand  Chain,  apjoearing 
beneath  the  alluvial  loam  of  the  bottom  lands,  and  but  little 
above  the  low-water  mark.  Calcareous  concretions  were  not 
observed  in  the  blue  clays,  but  fragments  of  lignite  were 
found.  Just  west  of  the  city  of  Paducah  the  clay  is  again 
exposed  in  a deep  ravine,  but  is  apparently  a thin  deposit, 
rising  a little  above  low-water  mark.  Coarse  yellow  sand  is 
interstratified  with  the  lower  portion  of  the  bed,  the  upper 
being  thick,  and  here  marked  by  the  presence  of  bluish 
specks  of  the  mineral  vivianite,  a phosphate  of  iron. 

The  region  about  Paducah  is  an  interesting  one,  as  being 
the  point  where  the  Cretaceous  clays  outcrop  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ohio  river,  and  a number  of  later  formations  appear. 
The  Cretaceous  beds,  comprising  thinlv  laminated  black  clays, 
the  laminse  separated  by  a thin  sheet  of  very  fine  and  highly 
micaceous  sand,  are  exposed  on  the  east  side  of  the  foot  of 
Main  street  (or  the  boat  landing),  from  about  forty-three  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  bluff  to  the  water’s  edge.  They  have 
not  been  observed  on  the  western  side  of  the  landing.  Pass- 
ing south-westward  a few  miles,  across  the  flats  to  the  bluffs, 
that  rise  one  hundred  feet  higher,  we  find  the  Tertiary  black 
joint  clays  at  their  feet,  and  on  a jilain  higher  than  the 
Cretaceous.  These  in  turn  are  overlaid  directly  by  the 
Quaternary  gravel  and  brown  loam  which  caps  the  uifiands 
southward.  Within  the  flats  or  valleys,  and  about  thirty 
feet  from  the  surface,  the  gravel  is  found  in  heavy  beds, 
covering  the  Cretaceous,  and  reaching  westward  at  about 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puuchask  ui-xjion.  75 

one  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  hill  gravel,  though 
ooteniporaneous  with  it. 

A feature  of  special  interest  here  is  the  formation  of  an- 
other trough  within  this  original  one,  beginning  at  Paducah 
and  extending  westward  along  the  Ohio  river  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  marked  by  the  narrow  bottom  land  or  surface 
alluvium.  It  seems  to  have  been  formed  by  the  combined 
currents  of  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  rivers,  acting  suddenly 
and  with  sufficient  force  to  bear  away  the  gravel  previously 
deposited  along  this  line,  and  possibly  ro  cut  away  the  gravel 
bluffs  along  the  Mississippi  to  their  present  outline,  scatter- 
ing their  material  over  the  eastern  and  middle  parts  of  the 
broad  bottoms  of  the  latter  river,  at  various  periods  of  the 
Port  Hudson  era,  as  shown  by  the  interstratiffcation  of  the 
gravel,  sand,  and  blue  clays  in  the  borings  of  the  MississijDpi 
River  Commission.  This  trough  was  not  entirely  filled  by 
after-deposits  of  clays  and  alluvium ; and  we  find  at  Paducah, 
and  elsewhere  along  the  Ohio  bottom,  a terrace  of  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  rising  from  it  to  the  fiats  or  valley  region. 

Along  the  banks  of  the  Tennessee  river,  except  where  the 
uplands  approach  to  the  water’s  edge,  the  blue  clays  of  the 
Port  Hudson  are  found  outcropping  at  low  water,  and  pre- 
senting the  same  characteristics  as  have  already  been  given. 
At  Highland  Landing,  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Calloway 
county,  they  are  dotted  with  the  white  and  bright  blue  par- 
ticles of  mcianite  as  at  Paducah,  though  more  abundant  and 
larger. 

The  clays  extend  up  the  river  to  the  point  where  the  high 
Subcarboniferous  bluffs  reach  to  the  water’s  edge,  and  which 
mark  the  line  between  the  two  States.  Beyond  this  they 
have  not  been  observed.  They  are  overlaid  by  yellowish, 
micaceous,  clajmy  loams,  presently  to  be  mentioned. 

At  Highland  the  following  section  appears  : 


Micaceous  and  yellowish  loam 

Interlaminated  light  bluish  clay  and  j'ellow  sand 

-Blue  micaceous  cla}',  in  layers  one  to  two  feet  each,  with  some  yellow 
sand  and  ferruginous  concretions;  the  lower  dotted  with  vivianite 
particles;  reaches  to  water’s  edge 


7 feet. 
15  feet. 


10  feet. 


76 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  clay  is  quite  plastic,  and,  as  shown  by  tests,  makes  a 
very  pretty  bright  red  ware.  It  seems  to  underlie  almost  the 
entire  valley,  and  is  covered,  in  part,  at  the  foot  of  the  west- 
ern bluffs,  by  gravel  washings  from  the  hills. 

At  Birmingham,  the  bluish  clays  appear  sixteen  feet  be- 
neath the  loam  along  the  river  front,  and  also  in  the  valley 
on  the  west,  the  central  portion  being  occupied  by  alternat- 
ing strata  of  sand  and  pipe  clays. 

Micaceous  Clay  Loam  Bed. — Immediately  overlying  the 
blue  clays  just  described,  and  covering  both  the  Tennessee 
and  Ohio  river  valleys  of  flats,  there  is  a deposit  of  brown- 
ish-yellow loam,  differing  from  the  brown  loam  of  the  up- 
lands, in  being  quite  micaceous.  It  has  a thickness  of 
from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet. 

The  age  of  this  bed  is  a matter  of  conjecture,  though,  for  a 
number  of  reasons,  I have  placed  it  as  Port  Hudson,  for  it 
overlies  the  stratified  drift ; apparently  underlies  the  brown 
loam,  being  covered  by  it  to  a depth  of  a few  feet,  and  is 
not  sufficiently  silty  in  character  to  make  it  a part  of  the 
loess. 

An  examination  of  the  beds  exposed  in  the  ravines  around 
Paducah  showed  the  presence,  in  places,  of  many  calcareous 
concretions  and  of  darkened  rootlets.  The  lower  portion  of 
the  bed  has  also  a tendency  toward  a dark  color.  The  fol- 
lowing section  was  obtained  near  town : 


Soil,  light  grey  loam 

Brown  clay  loam  subsoil 

Brown  micaceous  under-clay,  becoming  stiffcr  downward,  and  witli  much 

bog  ore;  at  ten  feet  whitish  calcareous  concretions 

Rather  bluish  micaceous  and  massive  clays,  dark  when  damp ; seams  are 
filled  with  brownish  clays  and  some  concretions ; to  bottom  of  the  ravine  . 


1 foot. 

2 feet. 

25  feet. 
4 feet. 


The  bottom  of  the  ravine  is  about  level  with  the  upper 
edge  of  the  blue  clays  in  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  already  men- 
tioned. The  micaceous  character  of  the  clays  is  especially 
noticeable  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee. 

The  formation  reaches  up  Clark’s  river  valley  to  the  head 
of  the  valley  flats  at  Lyell’s  mill,  and  up  the  East  Fork  of 
the  river,  on  the  south  side,  to  and  beyond  Benton,  Marshall 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puuoiiase  region. 


77 


county.  Alon^  Mayfield  creek,  in  Ballard  county,  it  extends 
beyond  Lovelaceville.  In  all  these  bottoms  it  produces  a 
heavy  crawfishy  land. 

loess  or  .grey  silt  BLUFB’S. 

This  formation  overlies  the  gravel  beds  of  the  stratified 
drift  along  the  immediate  bluffs  that  face  the  bottom  lands 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  its  position  in  the  geologic 
series  is  most  probably  below  the  Port  Hudson  group,  just 
described.  Its  beds  are  the  continuation  northward  of  the 
similar  beds  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana,  and,  so  far  as 
ascertained,  differ  in  no  respect  from  them.  The  beds, 
usually  twenty  to  thirty  feet  thick,  are  made  up  of  a fine 
grey  calcareous  silt,  nearly  homogeneous  throughout,  and 
frequently  containing  long  reddish  concretions  or  small  tubes, 
whose  central  part  is  usually  darker  than  the  exterior,  and 
sometimes  with  a central  orifice  nearly  the  entire  length, 
as  if  formed  by  rootlets. 

Another  characteristic  feature  of  the  silt  is  the  occurrence 
of  a large  number  of  fresh  water  shells,  an  enumeration  of 
which  may  be  found  below. 

The  formation  is  not  continuous  through  Kentucky,  though 
it  may  originally  have  been  so ; there  is  a sudden  slope  to 
eastward  from  the  very  edge  of  the  bluffs  in  that  portion 
south  of  Hickman,  thus  limiting  it  to  a very  narrow  belt. 
Between  this  town  and  the  McLeod’s  Bluff,  eight  miles 
south  of  Columbus,  the  silt  has  been  entirely  removed, 
together  with  the  high  bluffs,  while  at  this  bluff,  and  on  to 
Columbus,  it  is  continuous.  Northward  from  Columbus  it 
occupies  a narrow  belt  to  a point  three  or  four  miles  beyond 
Wickliffe,  when  it  disappears  from  the  bluffs,  which  are 
here  very  much  lower  than  on  the  south.  The  most  north- 
erly deposit  observed  was  on  the  bank  of  Cane  creek.  It, 
however,  occurs  on  the  high  Illinois  bluffs  of  the  Ohio  at 
New  Caledonia,  almost  due  north  from  Wickliffe.  I have 
not  observed  it  eastward  from  this  point  along  the  Ohio 
river. 

The  silt  in  the  bluff  at  Hickman,  as  shown  in  the  section 
on  page  38,  has  a thickness  of  about  fifty  feet,  overlaid  by 


78 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


three  or  four  feet  of  a yellowish-brown  loam.  The  silt  is 
not  uniform  in  character  throughout,  but  contains  ash-colored 
seams  and  patches.  Between  the  true  silt  and  the  underly- 
ing gravel  there  is  a bed  more  clayey  and  darker  in  color, 
fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  the  lower  four  or  live  of  which  con- 
tains scattered  and  prettily  rounded  small  white  and  colored 
quartz  gravel.  No  shells  were  found  in  it,  and  it  bears 
some  resemblance  to  the  lower  bed  of  the  upland  brown 
loam  that  covers  the  entire  region,  though  the  small  gravel 
does  not  appear  in  the  latter. 

Immediately  at  Hickman  the  silt  bluffs  are  very  narrow, 
the  descent  to  the  lower  country  being  quite  sudden ; but 
southward  the  formation  widens  out  to  several  miles,  though 
with  a gradual  slope  from  the  brow  of  the  bluff  eastward. 

At  one  point  in  the  formation  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
bluff  there  is  a great  abundance  of  shells,  many  of  them 
large.  A collection  was  made  and  sent  to  Prof.  Wetherby, 
of  Cincinnati,  who  has  identified  the  following  species : 


1.  Conulus  chersina. 

2.  Hyalina  arborea. 

3.  Helicina  orbiculata. 

4.  Helicina  profunda. 

5.  Limnaea  desidiosa. 

6.  Mesodon  profunda. 

7.  Mesodon  albolabris. 


8.  Macrocycles  concava. 

9.  Patula  alternata. 

10.  Patula  perspectiva. 

11.  Patula  solitaria. 

12.  Stenotrema  monadon. 

13.  Stenotrema  hirsuta. 

14.  Treodopsis  appressa. 


The  following  were  obtained  by  Prof.  Safford,  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.  (Greol.  of  Tenn..  page  434); 

1.  Helix  appressa.  6.  Cyclas,  sp.  ? 

2.  H.  hirsuta.  7.  Amnicola  lapidaria. 

3.  H.  monadon.  8.  Succinea,  sp.  ? 


4.  H.  solitaria. 

5.  Planorbis  bicarinatus. 


9.  Lymnea,  sp.  ? 


At  Columbus  the  silt  bed  is  thinner  than  at  Hickman,  the 
bluffs  showing  a thickness  of  only  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet. 
It  is  overlaid  by  four  feet  of  loamy  soil  and  subsoil,  and 
underlaid  by  about  four  feet  of  the  stiff,  darker  loam  that 
apjiears  at  Hickman,  in  a bed  fifteen  feet  thick.  Shells  are 
very  rare  in  these  beds,  and  especially  those  of  the  larger 
species,  none  of  the  latter  being  seen.  In  the  railroad  cut, 
east  of  Columbus,  a portion  of  the  silt  is  well  filled  with 


library 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


ESCARPMENT  OF  BLUFF  AT  COLUMBUS,  HICKMAN  CO.,  KY. 


OF  TiiK  Jackson’s  puuchask  ueoion. 


79 


small  shells,  whose  species  have  not  yet  been  determined. 
Kounded  and  reddish  concretionary  forms  are  abundant,  also 
seams  of  ferruginous  clay  holding  shells. 

At  other  localities  northward,  at  Wicklilfe  and  Caledonia, 
the  silt  beds  are  thin,  and  no  shells  were  observed. 

It  is  a matter  worthy  of  note,  that  the  largest  shells  were 
found  only  in  the  most  westerly  exposures  of  the  silt^  viz. : 
at  Hickman ; while  in  the  more  easterly  bluffs  at  Columbus, 
and  elsewhere,  including  that  in  the  railroad  cut,  just  north- 
east of  Hickman,  only  small  species  were  found ; and  in  the 
still  more  easterly  bluffs  at  Wickliffe  none  were  observed. 

The  following  analyses  show  the  chemical  compQsition  of 
this  silt: 

No.  2142.  Loess,  from  the  bluff  at  Hickman,  Fulton 
county ; contains  remains  of  land  and  fresh  water  shells. 
It  is  somewhat  plastic ; not  very  coherent  when  burnt,  and 
acquires  a very  light  brick  color;  before  the  blow-pipe  it 
fuses  into  a light  grey  slag. 

No.  2659.  Loess  or  Orey  Silt,  near  top  of  bluff  at  Hick- 
man, Fulton  county ; greyish  cinnamon  color.  The  siliceous 
residue,  insoluble  in  acids,  contains  1.410  per  cent,  of  potash, 
and  1.268  per  cent,  of  soda. 

No.  17.  Loess  from  the  river  bluff  at  Memphis,  Tennessee. 


ANALYSIS  OF  LOESS  OR  OREY  SILT. 


Dried  at  212°  F 

Kentucky: 

Tennessee: 

Fulton  County. 

Shelby  County. 

Hickman. 

Memphis. 

No.  2142. 

No.  2659. 

No.  17. 

Silica 

68.860 

67.295 

76.503 

Alumina 

12.980 

4 062 

3.102 

Iron  oxide 

2 240 

2.125 

4.687 

Lime  carbonate 

9.587 

14  900 

9.528 

Magnesia 

1.182 

7.670 

3.291 

Potash 

1.773 

.521 

.433 

Soda 

1.278 

1.082 

.180 

Manganese 1 

.094 

Phosphoric  acid >■ 

Not  estimated. 

.173 

.319 

Sulphuric  acid.  . J 

.060 

Water  and  loss 

2.100 

2.172 

1 . 730 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

99.927 

GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


80 


The  analysis  of  the  Memphis  specimen  is  taken  from  the 
Tenth  Census  Report  on  Cotton  Production  in  the  Southern 
States,  and  is  here  given  for  comparison  with  the  Kentucky 
beds.  It  and  No.  2659  are  representations  of  the  true  grey 
silt,  of  the  upper  part  of  the  bed.  The  Memphis  specimen 
contains  nearly  ten  per  cent,  more  of  the  fine  silt,  but  much 
less  of  lime,  potash  and  soda.  The  proportion  of  soda,  solu- 
ble and  insoluble,  is  enormous  in  the  Kentucky  specimen. 

The  two  Kentucky  specimens  are  respectively  from  the 
lower  and  upper  portions  of  the  bed,  the  former  being  far 
more  clayey,  and  containing  more  soluble  potash  but  less 
lime. 

BROWN  LOAM. 

The  gravel  or  stratified  drift  formation  was  followed  upon 
the  uplands,  in  the  interior,  away  from  the  loess  hills,  by 
that  of  a clayey  loam,  having  a thickness  of  from  twenty  to 
thirty  feet,  and  which  covered  the  entire  Purchase  counties, 
to  be  subsequently  largely  removed  by  erosion  along  the 
present  creek  and  river  valleys,  as  well  as  in  minor  ravines. 

There  are  two  beds  of  the  brown  loam,  an  upper  and 
lower,  perhaps  separated  from  each  other,  in  the  bluff  sec- 
tions along  the  Mississippi  river,  by  the  heavy  silt  or  loess 
formation. 

The  upper  bed  is  thin,  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet, 
and  forms  the  immediate  surface  of  the  uplands  between 
the  Mississippi  and  Tennessee  rivers.  The  lower  has  a much 
greater  thickness,  is  lighter  in  color,  and  generally  permeated 
with  seams  of  a still  lighter  grey  silt. 

At  the  close  of  the  stratified  drift  period  the  gravel  was 
left  in  uneven  beds,  either  by  original  deposition  or  because 
of  the  effect  of  the  erosion  of  the  surface  by  those  floods 
which  acted  at  the  same  time  upon  the  deposits  along  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  In  many  of  the  inland  gravel 
hills  it  has  been  observed  that  their  outer  edges  are  thinner 
than  in  the  central  portion,  the  whole  having  a slope  to  either 
side,  though  the  base  was  horizontal. 

Upon  this  uneven  surface  the  brown  loam  was  deposited, 
with  quite  a uniform  thickness,  the  surface  of  the  forma- 
tion following  the  contour  of  that  of  the  underlying  beds. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  purchase  ki<:oion. 


81 


It  is  very  usual  to  tind,  in  an  exposure,  a central  nucleus 
of  i)robably  a pre-Quaternary  bed  of  clay  and  sand,  covered 
by  the  gravel  of  the  stratilied  drift,  either  in  a horizontal 
bed,  with  the  edges  on  either  side  thinned  out,  or  in  a 
bed  dipping  to  either  side  conformable  to  the  surface  of  the 
underlying  stratum.  Over  the  gravel  we  find  the  brown 
loam  lying  conformably  upon  it. 

The  lower  portion  of  the  loess  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Missis-  , 
sippi  river,  which  seems  to  be  the  equivalent  of  the  interior 
lower  loam,  is  darker  in  color  than  both  the  overlying  grey 
silt  and  the  upper  loam.  In  the  lower  portion  of  its  bed  there 
are  numerous  well  rounded  and  prettily  colored  quartz  gravel, 
very  small,  and  increasing  in  quantity  downward,  as  the 
gravel  of  the  stratified  drift  is  approached.  No  cherty  frag- 
ments or  fossils  of  any  description,  whether  of  the  Carbon- 
iferous or  of  the  fresh  water  species  of  the  overlying  silt, 
have  been  found  in  the  bed.  The  gravel  has  not  been  ob- 
served in  this  brown  loam  in  the  interior  of  the  country. 

On  leaving  the  bluffs  and  proceeding  inland,  a feature  in 
this  lower  loam  bed  presents  itself  which  distinguishes  it 
from  the  upper,  and  is  interesting  in  showing  a possible 
relationship  with  the  silt.  The  upper  portion  of  the  bed  is 
usually  permeated  with  streaks  of  a grey,  silty  material 
reaching  downward,  and  plainly  seen  in  freshly  exposed 
vertical  surfaces  in  road  cuts.  The  beds  have  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  cracked  open  by  drying,  and  the  seams 
filled  with  the  silt,  perhaps  borne  in  highly  charged  waters. 
Whether  or  not  this  was  from  the  silt  of  the  bluffs  is  a 
matter  of  conjecture,  but  the  two  have  a strong  resemblance 
to  each  other. 

Upper  Brown  Loam  Beds. — The  loess  or  grey  silt  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  deposition  upon  its  surface  of  a few  feet  of  a 
light  yellow  or  brown  loam,  which  also  extended  eastward 
over  the  ujilands  of  the  entire  Purchase  counties,  resting 
directly  upon  the  lower  loam  bed,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. In  the  valleys  or  fiats  of  the  rivers  it  covers,  in  a 
thin  deposit,  the  micaceous  clays  of  the  Port  Hudson  forma- 
tion, except  in  the  Tennessee  valley,  where  it  is  absent.  This 
loam  forms  the  surface  soils  and  subsoils  throughout  the  up- 

GEOL.  SXJR. — 6. 


82 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUEES 


land  region.  The  silt  percolations  observed  in  the  under  bed 
of  loam  do  not  apjiear  in  this  upper  bed ; and  the  two  beds 
otherwise  seem  to  graduate  into  each  other,  the  line  separat- 
ing them  being  undistinguishable. 

ALLUVIAL,  KIVER  BOTTOM,  OR  RECENT  FORMATION. 

The  alluvial  formation  lying  along  the  immediate  water- 
courses is  properly  limited  to  the  three  large  rivers,  with 
minor  belts  along  Clark’s  river  and  Mayfield  creek.  The 
bottom  lands  of  the  other  streams  are  mostly  made  up  of 
washings  from  the  hill-sides,  being  changed  by  ill-drainage 
into  a heavy  crawfishy  clay. 

The  alluvial  region  of  the  Mississippi  is  broad  from  bluff  to 
bluff ; but  only  a comparatively  small  proportion  is  included 
within  the  State  of  Kentucky,  and  all  of  this  is  subject  to 
Dverhow  in  high  water  seasons.  The  river  has  for  many 
years  been  encroaching  on  and  wearing  away  the  Kentucky 
or  eastern  banks,  and  inflicting  great  damage  to  the  towns 
of  Columbus  and  Hickman.  The  latter  has  especially  suf- 
fered in  that  portion  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  and 
within  the  past  two  years  the  railroad  depot,  to  escape  de- 
struction, has  been  removed  to  the  north-east  of  town,  and 
back  from  the  river.  Many  years  ago,  and  within  the  recol- 
lection of  many  persons  now  living  in  Hickman,  the  river 
flowed  a mile  further  west,  the  main  current  passing  to  the 
west  of  Island  No.  6,  and  a broad  cypress  swamp  existed 
where  the  river  now  runs.  Columbus  is  also  suffering, 
though  perhaps  to  a less  degree.  Within  the  last  twenty 
years  the  river  has  cut  away  about  200  feet  from  the  town 
front,  portions  of  it  going  faster  than  others.  A small  levee 
has  been  thrown  up  along  the  banks  to  protect  the  town 
from  overflow,  the  water  of  the  river  having  risen  higher 
during  the  past  few  years  than  it  has  been  known  to  do 
heretofore.  The  river  bottom  between  Cairo  and  the  Ten- 
nessee State  line  is  interspersed  with  sloughs  and  lakes,  the 
latter  frequently  forming  a chain  by  connection  with  each 
other  and  with  the  river  by  means  of  these  sluggish  and 
narrow  streams. 

Abrupt  and  almost  perpendicular  bluffs  face  the  Missis- 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


83 


sippi  bottom,  be^?inning  a few  miles  north  of  Wicklille,  and 
reaching  to  the  Tennessee  line,  a feature  which  does  not 
belong  to  the  Ohio  bottom  or  valley  land  lying  within  Ken- 
tucky. 

It  would  appear  that  this  bottom  region  of  the  Mississippi 
was  cut  out  at  a season  of  very  high  hood  by  the  waters 
of  the  Mississippi  (perhaps  aided  by  those  of  the  Ohio), 
after  the  deposition  of  the  grey  silt  or  loess  formation.  To 
what  depth  this  occurred  is  not  known ; but  in  the  bluffs 
the  lower  divisions  of  the  Eocene  Tertiary  are  exposed. 
This  erosion  of  the  bluffs  at  present  only  takes  place  at 
points  where  the  river  current  sweeps  their  base,  the  inte- 
rior bluffs  not  being  affected  by  the  sluggish  waters  that 
reach  them  in  overflows. 

Another  feature  of  the  bottom  region  is  the  presence  of 
ridges  of  sand  in  the  interior,  and  along  the  river  bank, 
representing  two  eras  of  deposition.  The  oldest  deposits  are 
situated  some  distance  from  the  river,  but  parallel  with  its 
present  course,  and  were  formed  apparently  previous  to  the 
present  alluvial  deposit.  The  ridges  of  sand  are  long  and 
narrow,  and  are  still  subject  to  overflow  from  very  high 
floods.  The  most  prominent  of  these  is  Sassafras  ridge, 
lying  about  seven  miles  below  the  town  of  Hickman. 

The  other  and  more  recent  sand  ridges  lie  along  the  imme- 
diate bank  of  the  river,  and  are  still  in  process  of  formation 
by  the  yearly  addition  of  sand  from  the  partial  checking  of 
the  river  current  in  periods  of  overflow.  In  the  valley  of 
the  Ohio  similar  sand  ridges  of  both  eras  are  seen,  especially 
in  the  wide  bottom  lands  below  the  Grand  Chain,  the  most 
prominent  of  which  lies  near  Turner’s  Landing.  The  newer 
deposits  along  the  river  bank  reach  still  further  up  the  river. 

In  the  suburbs  of  Paducah  there  is  a low  surface  ridge 
or  elevation  of  closely  intermixed  fine  gravel  and  dark 
loam,  five  to  eight  feet  in  depth.  It  lies  nearly  north  and 
south  through  the  central  part  of  the  cemetery,  from  a 
point  five  miles  south  of  Paducah.  It  has  no  lines  of  strati- 
fication, and  its  material  was  derived  doubtless  from  the 
gravel  and  loam  beds  of  the  uplands,  and  washed  into  this 
position.  The  belt  is  quite  broad,  and  but  little  elevated 
above  the  valley. 


84 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY. 


The  economical  features  of  the  Purchase  counties  embrace 
the  soils,  the  beds  of  pottery  clays,  the  building  materials, 
polishing  powders  or  sands,  lignite  or  brown  coal,  iron  ore, 
etc.  They  will  be  described  under  their  respective  heads ; the 
soils  in  the  chapter  given  to  the  agricultural  features. 

CLAYS. 

Next  to  the  soils  and  timbers,  the  material  of  greatest 
economic  importance  occurring  naturally  in  the  counties  of 
the  Purchase  region,  is  found  in  the  extensive  deposits  of 
clay,  in  beds  of  varying  thicknesses  and  characters.  While 
they  underlie  the  greater  part  of  the  country,  it  is  only  in 
the  hill-side  ravines,  and  in  the  bluffs  bordering  the  streams, 
that  their  exposures  can  be  seen. 

These  clays  are  derived  from  the  decomposition  of  the 
argillaceous  shales  and  rocks  of  formations  older  than  those 
with  which  they  are  now  found,  and  have  been  transported 
to  this  basin  from  distant  localities,  by  rivers  or  other  cur- 
rents, and  meeting  here  the  quiet  waters  of  what  was  then 
an  arm  of  the  sea,  were  allowed  to  settle  to  the  bottom, 
gradually  filling  up  the  basin.  The  shallow  nature  of  the 
basin  is  shown  in  the  black  clays,  which  are  chiefly  colored 
with  organic  or  vegetable  decay,  and  in  the  beds  of  lignite 
and  the  decayed  leaves  in  the  clays. 

The  deposition  of  these  dark  clays  seems  to  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  a sinking  of  the  region,  producing  river  currents, 
which  swept  away  the  beds  in  the  central  part  of  the  region, 
north  to  south ; again  followed  by  a season,  or  alternating 
seasons,  of  rest  and  disturbance,  during  which  beds  of  white 
clays  and  of  sand  were  deposited,  Such  seems  to  be,  in  brief, 
the  history  of  the  deposition  of  these  beds  during  the  Creta- 
ceous, Tertiary,  and  early  Quaternary  times,  after  which  the 
heavy  deposits  of  gravel  and  loam  were  made,  which  now 
cover  the  entire  region. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


85 


Uses  of  Clay. — The  uses  to  which  clay  can  be  put  are 
dependent  upon  its  character  and  composition ; and  its  value 
is  dependent  upon  these  uses,  and  also  upon  its  abundance, 
as  well  as  the  transportation  facilities,  and  the  ease  with 
which  it  can  be  extracted  from  its  bed. 

The  following  list  of  articles  that  are  manufactured  from 
clay,  together  with  the  methods  of  manufacture,  is  taken 
from  the  “Report  on  the  Mineral  Resources  of  the  United 
States,”  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey: 

ARTICLES  MANUFACTURED  FROM  CLAY. 

I.  Building  materials: 

1.  Common  building  brick. 

2.  Front  building  brick  (pressed  brick,  molded  intaglio, 

or  ornamental  brick). 

3.  Hollow-  brick. 

4.  Glazed  brick. 

5.  Roofing  tile. 

6.  Flue  linings. 

7.  Door  knobs  and  hardware  porcelain. 

8.  Terra-cotta  lumber. 

9.  Hollow  tile,  fire-proofing  or  castings. 

II.  Refractory  materials: 

1.  Fire  brick. 

2.  Gas  retorts. 

3.  Retorts  for  zinc  works  and  for  other  metallurgical  pur- 

poses. 

4.  Glass  pots. 

5.  Stove  and  zinc  linings. 

6.  Chemists’  and  assayers’  utensils. 

III.  Pottery: 

1.  Stoneware. 

2.  Earthenware  (yellow  ware,  Rockingham  ware). 

3.  Granite  or  ironstone  ware. 

4.  White  ware. 

5.  Porcelain  (as  part  of  the  mixture). 

IV.  Ornamental  ware : 

1.  Encaustic  tile,  for  walls  and  floors. 

2.  Ornamental  pottery. 

3.  Ornamental  terra-cotta. 


86 


(JEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUEES 


V.  Miscellaneous: 

1.  Sewer  pipe. 

2.  Drain  pipe  or  drain  tile. 

3.  Flower  pots. 

4.  Garden  border  edging. 

5.  Telegraph  insulators. 

6.  Well  tubing. 

7.  Receivers  for  acids. 

8.  Water  filters  and  coolers. 

9.  Lamp  stands. 

Clay  is  also  largely  used  in  furnace  work  for  luting,  for 
weighting  and  sizing  paper,  and  in  making  alum ; while  the 
yellow  and  red  ochreous  clays  are  used  as  paints. 

METHODS  OF  MANUFACTUEE. 

The  following  are  extracts  taken  from  the  U.  S.  report 
just  mentioned,  in  which  the  methods  are  selected  from 
official  reports  made  on  the  industries  in  the  different 
States,  chiefly  Ohio  and  New  Jersey,  and  exact  details  are 
given.  The  most  important  of  these  methods  are  now  pre- 
sented in  this  chapter  for  the  benefit  of  any  persons  in  the 
Purchase  counties  who  may  be  interested  in  such  manufac- 
tures. 

Common  Brick. — “There  is  a great  variety  in  the  quality 
of  brick  produced  in  different  localities,  due  to  differences  in 
the  clay  used,  and  to  the  care  taken  in  manufacture.  Clay 
carrying  a large  amount  of  lime  is  generally  avoided,  as  this 
would  be  made  caustic  in  burning,  and  upon  subsequent  ex- 
posure to  the  weather  would  be  hydrated,  and  cause  the 
brick  to  crumble.” 

In  the  Purchase  counties,  only  the  clayey  brown  loam  that 
underlies  the  soil  of  the  uplands  is  used  for  brick,  and  the 
ordinary  methods  of  making  are  employed,  such  as  mixing 
into  a pasty  mass  in  a crude  manner,  molding  in  boxes  by 
hand,  drying  in  the  yard,  and  stacking  and  burning.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  go  into  detail,  as  the  methods  are  well  known. 

Front  Building  Brick. — “The  general  operations  are  simi- 
lar to  those  followed  in  making  common  brick,  but  a better 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  KE(iION. 


87 


quality  of  clay  is  required,  and  all  the  operations  are  more 
carefully  i)erformed.  Pressed  bricks  are  j)roduced  by  a 
combination  of  the  hand  and  machine  processes.  The  mold- 
ing is  usually  done  by  hand,  the  green  bricks  being  molded 
larger  than  the  size  required,  and  then  compressed  to  it  in  a 
brick  press.  The  molding  sand  is  an  important  item  in 
making  the  bricks,  as  their  color  and  smoothness  depend 
upon  it.  The  molding,  pressing,  and  drying  are  entirely 
done  under  cover,  and  the  bricks  are  laid  on  their  faces  in 
drying,  instead  of  being  put  on  edge,  as  is  done  with  com- 
mon ones.  They  are  put  in  the  kilns  with  great  care,  common 
brick  being  used  to  make  the  arches,  and  four  or  five  courses 
of  them  being  laid  over  the  arches  before  the  pressed  brick 
are  piled.  The  ends  and  edges  of  the  kiln  are  also  covered 
with  pressed  brick,  and  after  it  is  filled,  common  brick  are 
put  on  the  top.  The  firing  is  conducted  slowly  and  with 
care,  ten  or  twelve  days  being  the  usual  length  of  time  re- 
quired, and  when  burned,  the  kiln  is  slowly  cooled.  After 
cooling,  the  bricks  are  sorted,  and  defective  ones  are  re- 
jected.” 

Terra-cotta  Lumber. — “A  kaolinite,  or  clay  without  grit, 
unmixed  with  sand  or  sandy  clay,  is  mixed  with  sawdust, 
worked  by  machinery  into  slabs,  burned,  sawed  and  dressed, 
and  in  this  condition  is  ready  for  market.  It  is  claimed  that 
it  is  indestructible  by  fire,  water,  frost,  acids,  gases  or  age. 
It  is  a very  poor  conductor  of  heat,  dampness  and  sound, 
and  is  said  to  expand  and  contract  but  little  under  changes 
of  temperature.  Its  weight  is  put  down  as  one-half  that  of 
brick,  two-thirds  that  of  "marble  or  granite,  and  one-seventh 
that  of  iron ; and  it  can  be  worked  with  edge  tools,  bored 
and  sawed,  and  holds  nails  like  timber.” 

Fire-brick. — “While  common  brick  can  be  made  from  the 
poorer  grades  of  clay,  containing  such  impurities  as  iron, 
lime,  magnesia,  soda  and  potash,  fire-brick  demand  a clay 
of  great  purity,  and  their  refractoriness  depends  in  a large 
measure  upon  this  purity.  The  reason  for  this  is  evident, 
since  if  iron,  lime,  magnesia,  soda  or  potash  were  present, 
they  would,  at  the  high  temperatures  to  which  the  finished 
brick  is  to  be  exposed,  form  fusible  compounds  with  the 


88 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


silica  present,  and  the  brick  would  be  destroyed,  linkers 
mix  with  such  pure  clay  a certain  amount,  varying  with 
the  formula  of  the  individual  makers,  of  calcined  clay  and 
coarse  sand,  or  so-called  feldspar.  The  clays  and  flint  for 
the  mixture  being  selected,  they  are  thoroughly  mixed  by 
grinding  them  together.  This  grinding  is  done  in  different 
ways  in  the  districts.  A common  method  is  that  in  which 
the  charge  is  introduced  into  a large  circular  cast-iron  pan, 
which  revolves  on  an  upright  axis.  Two  or  more  large 
cast-iron  wheels,  which  turn  on  a horizontal  axis,  are  put  in 
the  pan.  As  it  revolves,  the  wheels  turn  and  crush  and  mix 
the  clay.  Water  in  proper  amounts  is  introduced  during  the 
operation,  and  the  grinding  is  continued  until  the  feeling  of 
the  mass  shows  the  workmen  that  the  proper  consistency  has 
been  reached.  After  grinding,  the  clay  is  molded,  either 
by  hand  or  machines,  like  common  brick.  The  hand-made 
brick  are  then  pressed  in  a steel  brass-lined  chamber  by 
lever  power.  The  machine-made  ones  are  not  pressed.  The 
pressed  brick  are  now  dried,  either  in  covered  sheds  in  the 
open  air,  or  in  chambers  heated  for  the  purpose.  After  they 
are  sufficiently  dried  they  are  piled  in  the  kilns,  being 
separated  from  each  other  by  layers  of  non-vitrifiable  sand. 
The  time  required  for  burning  is  about  six  days,  and  the 
firing  is  conducted  with  the  utmost  care,  as  upon  it  the  per- 
fection of  the  brick  largely  depends.  A low  fire  is  used  at 
first,  increasing  gradually  until  the  proper  temperature  is 
reached.  The  fires  are  kept  at  this  for  several  hours,  and 
are  then  drawn,  and  the  kiln  is  allowed  to  cool  for  three  or 
four  days  before  opening.  The  kilns  used  are  of  various 
kinds,  some  makers  preferring  up-draft  and  some  down-draft, 
and  their  size  depends  on  the  extent  of  business  carried  on.'’ 
Gas  Retorts. — “The  clay  used  in  making  these  retorts  must 
be  able  to  stand  strong  heat  without  tendency  to  soften,  since 
they  have  to  sustain  their  own  great  weight  and  also  that  of 
the  charge  they  contain.  Great  care  is  exercised  in  com- 
pounding the  mixture  from  which  they  are  made.  The 
failure  of  a retort  would  entail  a considerable  loss,  aside 
from  its  own  cost.  Calcined  clay  is  used  in  large  amounts, 
but  it  is  more  finely  crushed  than  for  fire-brick,  and  requires 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  rUUClIASE  UKCHON. 


89 


a very  good  and  plastic  bond  clay.  The  retort  is  shaped 
from  the  tempered  clay  by  tilling  the  si)ace  between  a large 
sheet-iron  shell  and  a wooden  core.  The  shell  is  placed  in 
position  and  the  tloor  covered  with  clay  four  inches  deep 
and  tamped.  The  core  is  then  introduced  and  adjusted  so 
that  it  is  separated  from  the  walls  on  all  sides  by  a space  of 
four  inches.  The  clay  is  then  tilled  in  in  small  amounts,  and 
gently  tamped.  When  the  retort  is  high  enough,  tlie  core  is 
withdrawn  by  a crane,  and  the  mouth  of  the  retort  is  made 
by  hand.  The  shell,  which  is  made  in  two  sections,  is  then 
unbolted,  and  the  tinished  retort  is  left  standing  on  end.  It 
is  left  in  this  position  to  dry  for  several  weeks,  and  is  finally 
removed  to  the  kiln  to  be  burnt.  Burning  is  done  in  ordi- 
nary fire-brick  kilns,  and  bricks  are  piled  about  the  retorts 
to  keep  them  in  place,  and  from  sagging.  Retorts  for  zinc 
works  and  for  other  similar  purposes,  are  built  in  like  man- 
ner.” 

’"DTTERY. 

“Before  giving  the  methods  used  in  manufacturing  pottery, 
it  is  necessary  to  define  the  various  kinds  given  in  the  pre- 
ceding list,  made  in  this  country.  The  compact  and  concise 
definitions  used  in  the  Ohio  report  are  quoted : ‘ Stoneware 
is  the  product  of  an  unmixed,  natural  clay,  burned  at  high 
enough  heat  to  oblige  the  impurities  to  combine  with  free 
silica,  and  thus  cause  an  incipient  vitrification  or  fretting, 
without  loss  of  shape.  It  should  be  impermeable  to  water 
without  any  glazing  on  it ; but  it  frequently  fails  in  this  point. 
Its  color  is  bluish-grey,  and  is  due  to  combined  iron.’ 

‘Earthenware  is  a product  of  very  similar  clays,  burned 
too  lightly  to  vitrify  the  body  or  combine  the  iron  ; it  is  of 
a yellow  or  red  color,  from  the  free  iron,  and  is  porous  unless 
glazed.’ 

‘China  (the  iron-stone  china  made  in  this  country)  is  a 
mixture  of  several  clays  with  powdered  silica,  and  enough 
potash  feldspar  to  make  the  body  vitreous  on  burning. 
Porcelain  is  made  in  the  same  way,  but  in  very  different 
proportions  of  material ; white  iron-stone  china  is  thick  and 
opaque ; porcelain  is  often  as  thin  as  an  egg-shell,  and  nearly 


90 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


clear  enough  to  be  called  translucent.  China  is  of  a dead  or 
bluish-white  color,  while  porcelain  is  of  a creamy-white  tint’ 

Stoneware. — ‘The  operations  are:  (1)  Wetting  the  clay; 
(2)  grinding ; (3)  wedging ; (4)  turning ; (5)  drying ; (6)  slip- 
ping ; (7)  burning ; (8)  sorting  the  product.  In  very  many 
places  the  clay  is  put  in  a bin  before  using,  and  allowed  to 
stand  over  night  after  drenching  with  water.  This  precau- 
tion is  well  taken  in  small  works  where  horse-power  only  is 
used  in  grinding.  In  the  largest  steam  works  it  is  unneces- 
sary. The  grinders  for  stoneware  clays  are  of  several  kinds ; 
the  simplest  is  a pug-mill.  The  next  machine  has  no  spe- 
cific name,  but  is  the  one  in  use  in  all  the  country  potteries.’ 

“It  is  a square  frame,  pivoted  on  an  upright  beam,  which 
runs  through  the  point  of  crossing  of  the  diagonals,  on  the 
projecting  ends  of  which  are  fastened  cart  wheels,  which  work 
in  a circular  trough  beneath.  The  whole  frame  revolves  by 
the  motion  of  a large  frame  above,  which  receives  its  power 
from  the  horse  or  engine.'  The  motion  is  slow,  but  by 
weighting  the  corners  of  the  frame  the  wheels  in  their  rev- 
olution manage  to  cut  the  clay  to  pieces  quite  effectually. 
Such  a machine,  which  can  easily  be  made  by  any  village 
mechanic,  can  grind  from  one  thousand  two  hundred  to  one 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  at  a charge,  and  will  occupy 
about  two  hours  in  doing  it.  This  amount  of  clay  will  make 
from  one  hundred  and  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  ninety 
gallons  of  ware.  The  clay,  after  grinding,  is  balled  into 
large  masses,  and  wet-blanketed  to  keej)  until  used.  The 
clay,  after  being  ground,  is  put  through  a process  called 
‘wedging.’ 

“This  treatment  is  sux>posed  to  eliminate  blebs,  or  spaces 
in  the  clay,  and  any  larger  jDieces  of  foreign  matter.  When 
wedged,  it  is  rolled  up  into  wads  or  balls,  which  have  a 
definite  weight  for  each  kind  of  ware,  and  is  then  ready  to 
be  turned.”  Turning  will  be  described  later  under  white 
ware.  The  articles  made  are  crocks,  fruit  jars,  jugs,  milk 
pans,  churns,  etc.  As  fast  as  the  ware  is  made  it  is  dried. 
In  small  j^otteries  this  is  done  in  the  sun,  but  in  the  larger 
ones  the  ware  is  piled  on  shelves  in  a room  artificially 
heated.  The  dry  ware  is  next  “slipj)ed.”  This  term  means 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


91 


the  coverin'^  of  the  ware  witli  any  wash  or  solution.  The 
slip  used  with  stoneware  is  made  by  stining  a very  fine- 
grained clay  into  water.  The  ware,  when  dipped  into  this, 
receives  a thin  coating  of  the  susi)ended  clay,  and  this  coat- 
ing, when  heated  in  the  kiln,  vitrifies  and  gives  a glassy 
surface.  The  color  of  the  glaze  depends  on  the  composi- 
tion of  the  clay  used  in  the  slip.  That  containing  alkalies 
and  alkaline  earths  only,  with  silica,  would  give  a light- 
colored  glaze,  while  that  containing  iron  would  give  a darker 
color.” 

A partial  analysis  of  the  Albany,  New  York,  slip,  as  given 
in  the  Ohio  report,  shows  the  following  composition : 


Sesquioxide  of  iron 

Potash 

Soda 


1.43 

3.17 

.74 

5.34 


There  is  present  also  a large  amount  of  carbonates  of  lime 
and  magnesia,  which  are  undetermined. 

“The  main  trouble  to  be  overcome  in  the  use  of  slip  glazes 
is  a tendencj^  to  blister  or  blubber.  The  cause  of  this  is  not 
definitely  known.  Every  potter  has  his  theory.  The  opinion 
of  several  of  the  most  intelligent  has  been,  that  undue  haste 
in  burning  is  the  most  frequent  cause,  and  that  the  wares 
should  be  heated  to  a low  red- heat  for  several  hours  before 
any  higher  heat  is  attempted,  after  which  raising  of  the  heat 
can  do  no  harm.” 

Earthenware. — The  character  of  the  clays  used  in  making- 
earthenware  is  nearly  the  same  as  that  used  for  stoneware. 
“In  some  places  the  same  clay  is  made  into  both  kinds  of 
ware,  the  only  differences  between  them  being  in  the  pro- 
cesses employed.  Generally,  however,  the  clay  for  earthen- 
ware should  carry  less  sand,  and  any  iron  present  should  be 
disseminated  uniformly  through  it.  The  clay  is  allowed  to 
slack  in  the  air,  after  mixing,  for  a time  sufficient  to  partially 
weather  it.  It  is  then  washed,  by  which  it  is  freed  from  sand 
and  impurities,  the  clay  remaining  in  susj)ension,  and  poured 
^off  into  vats,  where  it  is  allowed  to  settle.  By  this  washing 


92 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKICS 


the  clay  also  becomes  uniform  in  color.  The  washed  clay 
is  allowed  to  dry  in  the  vats  on  long  exposure,  or  the  water 
is  pressed  out  of  it  by  subjecting  it  to  great  pressure  in 
bags.  After  the  clay  is  pressed  it  is  rolled  into  a wad,  and 
still  in  a moist  and  plastic  condition,  is  put  in  a close  room, 
and  piled  and  covered  with  blankets  until  it  is  used.  The 
next  step  is  ‘wedging’  or  ‘slipping.’  A block  of  both 
colors,  about  12  by  12  by  6 inches,  is  cut  and  sliced  up  by 
a wire  in  six  or  eight  layers  each.  They  are  filled  alter- 
nately into  a new  block  one  foot  cube.  This  is  then  lifted 
and  thrown  down  with  violence  to  consolidate  the  layers. 
It  is  then  cut  and  welded  again  by  a blow,  and  so  on  until 
the  colors  are  marbled  in  fine  alternating  streaks.  The  clay 
is  then  ready  for  the  potter.  There  are  three  methods  in 
use  for  fashioning  the  numerous  articles  made  from  clay, 
viz:  throwing,  press- work  and  casting.  The  former  is  used 
chiefly  in  making  earthenware,  the  latter  two  in  making 
white  ware  and  porcelain.  ‘The  first  and  most  ancient  is 
that  of  throwing,  in  which  the  thrower  or  jigger  throws 
down  a lump  of  clay  upon  the  revolving  table  of  his 
lathe.  Using  both  hands,  he  works  the  lump  into  the  shape 
of  a rude  cone,  and  then  flattens  the  mass  within  a few 
inches  of  the  table,  the  object  of  his  operation  being  to 
force  out  any  air  bubbles  that  may  remain  in  the  clay.  By 
means  of  his  hands  and  fingers,  and  referring  constantly  to 
measuring  sticks,  he  fashions  the  vessel  according  to  a model 
or  after  his  own  fancy.”  This  method  is  in  use  in  all  of 
the  potteries  throughout  the  counties  of  the  Purchase. 

“Press-work  is  done  in  moulds  of  plaster  of  Paris,  one-half 
of  the  pattern  being  formed  on  one  side  of  the  mould,  and 
the  other  half  on  the  other  side.  The  two  moulding  pieces 
are  then  accurately  fitted  together.  Handles  are  moulded 
separately,  and  fastened  on  with  slip.  Casting  is  done  for 
articles  of  verj^  irregular  shape.  The  two  halves  of  the 
mould  are  fastened  together,  and  slip  is  poured  in  until 
the  cavity  is  quite  full.  As  the  moulds  are  previously 
thoroughly  dried,  the  absorbent  power  of  the  plaster  soon 
attracts  the  water,  and  makes  the  coating  of  the  clay  next 
to  it  stiff  and  doughy.  When  the  liquid  is  poured  out  this 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  purchase  region.  9:j 

donglij'  coatiiio:  remains.  H eacli  lialf  has  been  cast  sepa- 
rately, as  is  usually  the  practice,  the  halves  are  allowed  to 
dry  to  the  green  or  most  tenacious  state,  and  are  then 
joined  with  slip.  This  method  is  that  usually  employed  in 
moulding  porcelain.” 

“The  ware,  now  being  formed,  is  next  put  in  seggars  for 
burning.  Seggars  are  vessels  of  lire-clay,  in  which  all  the  ar- 
ticles, except  the  most  common  earthenware,  are  burnt.  They 
are  made  of  clay  slabs,  roughly  cut  with  a spade,  and  worked 
with  a mallet  over  an  oval  form.  The  bottom  is  put  on 
separatelj’,  and  the  seggar  is  burnt  before  it  is  used.  In 
earthenware  making,  the  seggars  are  filled,  the  pieces  being 
separated  from  each  other  by  pins  or  cockspurs,  and  the 
covers  are  luted  on.  They  are  then  piled  in  the  kilns  one 
above  the  other.  After  the  kiln  is  filled,  the  openings  are 
luted,  and  the  fire  is  started;  at  first  slowly,  and  gradually 
raised ; the  firing  generally  occupies  forty-eight  hours,  and 
about  the  same  time  is  required  in  cooling  down.  When 
cool,  the  seggars  are  removed,  and  the  biscuits  taken  out. 
The  biscuit-  is  very  porous,  and  when  dressed  of  all  promi- 
nences is  ready  for  the  glaze. 

‘The  theory  of  the  glazing  of  pottery  is  very  simple,  but 
in  its  application  lies  the  excellence  of  one  ware  over  an- 
other. There  are  certain  substances  that  have  the  power  of 
fusing  under  heat  in  the  presence  of  free  silica  to  a clear, 
transx>arent  silicate,  of  which  glass  is  a type.  To  make  a 
potter’s  product  useful,  it  must  have  its  tendency  to  absorb 
liquids  removed,  which  is  done  by  wetting  the  biscuit  ware 
with  a substance  which  will  fuse  to  a clear  glass  with  the 
silica  of  the  clay,  and  give  a smooth,  imperishable  finish  to 
the  work.’  The  alkalies,  borax,  lead,  etc.,  are  usually  em- 
ployed in  the  glazes ; the  proportions  and  the  constituents  for 
each  glaze  being  usually  kep)t  secret  by  the  potter.  The  glazes 
for  yellow  ware  are  usually  made  of  litharge,  flint,  spar  and 
paris  white,  mixed  in  a vat  with  a thin  sliji  of  pure  clay,  to 
keep  the  heavier  bodies  from  settling  out.” 

White  Ware  and  Porcelain. — “The  main  distinction  be- 
tween the  yellow  ware  and  white  ware  manufacture,  is  in 
the  preparation  of  the  clay  ‘body.’  This  ‘body’  or  mixture 


94 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


of  clays,  flint,  and  spar,  to  be  used  in  the  moulds,  is  the  great 
secret  of  each  establishment.  Usually  not  more  than  two 
men  in  the  works  know  it.  The  clays  chosen  are  selected 
with  reference  to  jilasticity,  shrinkage,  liability  to  crack, 
color,  etc.  ; in  a mixture,  at  least  one  light  clay  is  employed, 
and  the  aim  is  to  keeii  the  mixture  of  clays  as  light  in  tint 
as  may  be,  and  still  secure  the  other  qualities  necessary.  The 
flint  is  used  in  the  finest  state  of  division,  and  is  perfectly 
white,  as  is  also  the  spar.  The  body  mixture  of  kaolin  alone 
would,  if  heated,  be  liable  to  crack  without  apparent  cause, 
and  would  be  infusible  at  the  heat  applied.  By  adding  silica, 
which  sometimes  forms  nearly  one-half  the  mixture,  the 
body  is  very  much  whitened,  and  the  clay  is  much  more  like 
a stoneware  clay  in  composition,  and  is  prepared  to  vitrify 
on  heating ; but  because  of  the  purity  of  the  reagents, 
there  is  nothing  present  to  cause  vitrification  with  the 
free  silica.  Should  this  body  be  burned,  all  tendency  to 
shrink  or  crack  would  be  gone,  but  tlie  bond  would  be  very 
slight  that  would  hold  the  mass  together ; a blow  on  a thin 
edge  would  give  a dull  wooden  sound,  which  well  illustrates 
the  lack  of  close  union  between  the  particles.  By  adding 
spar  the  mixture  is  complete ; the  color  is  corrected  by  the 
flint,  as  well  as  the  tendency  to  shrink  and  crack,  and  with 
the  presence  of  the  sjiar,  the  burning  immediately  causes  a 
thorough  vitrification  of  the  whole  mass  to  a homogeneous 
solid,  with  a slightly  glassy  fracture.  A blow  now  would 
give  a clear,  ringing  sound.  The  glazes  used  in  vvhite  ware 
are  much  more  complicated  than  for  yellow  ware,  and  re- 
quire, perhaps,  the  most  skillful  work  of  all  to  get  just 
right ; there  is  more  value  placed  on  the  composition  of  a 
good  glaze  than  any  secret  about  a pottery,  even  including 
the  composition  of  the  body.” 

“The  white  ware  made  in  our  potteries  is  graded  as:  (1)  iron- 
stone china ; (2)  majolica ; (3)  C.  C.  ware,  a grade  of  white 
ware  made  from  poorer  clays,  and  cheaper  and  inferior. 
China  differs  from  majolica  much  as  yellow  differs  from 
Rockingham  ware,  in  finish  and  glazing  alone.  The  glazes 
used  in  majolica  are  applied  after  the  first  or  body  glaze, 
in  a soft  pasty  state  and  in  dabs,  which  would  presage  a 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  i*urciiase  kkoion. 


95 


very  rough  appearance  when  finished ; but  on  heating  tliey 
melt  and  flow  over  the  ware,  making  an  effective  play  of 
color.  The  colors  used  are  in  the  glaze,  and  differ  from  all 
other  styles  in  being  neither  beneath  nor  above  it.” 

“In  the  decoration  of  glass,  pottery,  enamels,  etc.,  the  color- 
ing agents  used  are  the  metallic  oxides,  these  being  the  only 
bodies  whose  coloring  effects  would  last  at  the  temperature 
used.  The  forms  in  which  these  oxides  are  used  are  called 
enaniel  paints,  and  are  mixtures  of-  the  requisite  oxide,  with 
suitable  bases  and  fluxes,  so  that  on  heating,  the  latter  unite 
to  foi’in  a glass  which  receives  its  color  from  the  accompany- 
ing oxide.  There  are  several  well-marked  styles  of  pottery 
decoration  now  used,  such  as  painting,  striping,  and  hand- 
painting and  printing.  The  decoration  is  usually  placed 
upon  the  already  glazed  ware.” 

Ornamental  Terra-Cotta. — “The  clay  used  is  a gritty,  plastic 
one,  and  no  special  care  is  taken  in  preparing  it,  save  that 
it  is  thoroughly  ground.  Teria-cotta  proper  burns  in  the 
' kiln  to  a hardness  that  give  the  articles,  when  struck,  the 
ring  of  iron.  The  clays  are  more  or  less  largely  colored  with 
oxide  of  iron.  According  as  this  is  present  in  greater  or 
less  color,  the  ware  produced  is  red,  buff  or  brown  in  color. 
The  clay  is  pressed  with  the  hand  into  the  mold,  and  the 
objects  are  afterward  finished  by  liand. 

Terra-cotta  is  used  for  making  chimney  tops,  outside  and 
inside  ornamentation  for  buildings,  lawn  vases,  statuary,  etc.” 

Encaustic  or  Enameled  Tile. — “The  clays  are  washed  and 
beaten  uj)  to  a slip,  the  necessary  metallic  oxides  added  to 
give  them  the  desired  color,  then  strained,  evaporated  to  a 
paste,  and  stacked  in  open  cribs  in  a steam-heated  room 
until  perfectly  dry.  It  is  then  reduced  to  powder,  and  uni- 
formly moistened,  and  is  then  molded.  The  simplest  tiles 
are  made  from  clay  of  one  color,  and  the  process  consists  in 
stamping  so  much  clay  powder  into  a confined  space,  and 
consolidating  it  by  enormous  pressure.  Next  come  the  tile 
made  of  two  colored  clays.  The  first  stamping  makes  the 
body,  but  leaves  indentations  in  its  surface,  into  which  the 
second  clay  is  put,  and  this  is  pressed  into  place.  The  tile 
is  then  scraped  to  get  a cleanly-drawn  line  of  both  colors. 


96 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


and  again  stamped  with  a flat  die.  They  are  dried  in  steam- 
heated  closets  for  as  much  as  six  weeks  after  forming,  in 
order  to  insure  their  perfect  dryness  before  burning.  The 
tiles  are  sold  in  the  biscuit  state,  or  are  glazed,  plain  colored, 
or  majolica.” 

Drain  Pipe  or  Tile. — Almost  any  clay  that  will  make 
good  brick  can  be  used  for  drain  pipe.  The  clay  is  wet 
down  after  being  dug,  and  then  ground  and  delivered  to  the 
auger  machine.  “The  auger  machine  consists  of  a cylindri- 
cal shell  of  iron  jilate,  inside  of  which  works  a screw  or 
auger.  A hopper  at  one  end  catches  and  collects  the  clay 
as  it  comes  from  the  grinder,  and  it  is  dropped  upon  the 
revolving  screw.  It  is  caught  uj)  and  carried  forward,  and 
is  soon  forced  out  at  the  other  end  through  the  orifice  in 
the  die.  The  machine  has  a set  of  dies  of  from  two  to 
twelve  inches,  and  can  make  any  size  at  will.  Besides  the 
circular  tile,  by  alterations  in  the  die,  fire-proofing,  square 
tile,  perforated  brick,  etc.,  can  be  made.  There  are  a great 
many  styles  of  auger  machines  in  use.  The  shaped  clay 
issuing  from  the  machine  is  cut  into  lengths,  and  set  on  end. 
on  the  drying  floors.  The  tiles  are  then  dried  and  burnt.”  . 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  PURCHASE  CLAYS. 

There  are  in  various  parts  of  the  region  a number  of  pot- 
teries engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the  very  ordinary  brown 
jugs  and  jars.  These  potteries  are  generally  crude,  and 
worked  at  a very  small  expense.  They  are  distributed  as 
follows:  One  at  Pottertown,  six  miles  east  of  Murray,  Cal- 
loway county ; one  at  Bell  City,  and  another  three  miles 
south  of  Lynnville,  in  the  southern  part  of  Graves  countj^ ; 
one  at  Paducah,  in  McCracken  county,  the  clay  being  ob- 
tained by  flats  from  beds  below  Metropolis,  on  the  Illinois 
shore  of  the  Ohio  river ; two  at  Columbus,  Hickman  county, 
the  clay -being  in  part  obtained  from  the  bluffs,  two  miles 
below  Columbus,  and  in  part  from  near  Wickliff'e,  in  Ballard 
county.  The  clays  from  Wickliffe  have  also  been  shipped 
to  Union  City,  Tennessee,  for  the  manufacture  of  tiles. 

In  order  to  more  fully  test  the  value  of  these  clays  for 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PUUCIIASE  HEOION. 


97 


the  finer  qualities  of  ware,  arrangements  were  made  with  the 
Kookwood  Pottery,  of  Cincinnati,  by  which  their  adaptability 
for  the  deconited  wares  was  ascertained.  Average  specimens 
from  the  most  important  beds  were  shipped  to  the  pottery, 
a-nd  the  results  obtained  are  incorporated  wdth  the  report  on 
the  respective  beds,  in  the  following  pages. 

The  clays  are  divided  into  three  classes — refractory^  unre- 
fractory, and  ochreous.  The  former  are  si)ecially  suited  to 
the  manufacture  of  fire-brick,  and  similar  articles,  whose 
chief  property  is  resistance  to  the  effects  of  a high  heat. 
Those  of  the  second  class  fuse  to  a greater  or  less  extent  in 
a high  heat,  and  are  more  suitable  for  various  forms  of  pot- 
tery, etc. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a letter  regarding  these 
clays  written  by  Mr.  Karl  Langenbeck,  of  the  factory  of 
Decorative  Art  in  Terra-cotta,  etc.,  in  Cincinnati.  Speaking 
in  regard  to  the  establishment  of  a pottery  for  making  regu- 
lar table-ware,  cups,  saucers,  plates,  bowls,  pitchers,  etc.,  he 
says:  “I  think  it  would  be  a very  paying  thing,  because  you 
have  raw  material  equal  to  the  finest  in  England ; the  articles 
have  a constant  and  ready  sale,  and  are  subject  to  heavy 
freight  rates  in  transportation  from  New  York,  Trenton,  or 
East  Liverpool,  so  that  they  should  be  j^roduced  near  a 
market,  and  Kentucky  is  known  as  a good  market.  The 
practical  experience  I have  had  with  the  clay  from  Russell’s, 
near  Murray,  and  with  other  clays  of  the  district,  have  taught 
me  their  peculiarities,  and  I can  freely  say,  that  from  their 
great  plasticity,  they  are  most  easily  and  cheaply  worked, 
and  from  their  binding  qualities,  entail  less  loss  in  the  kiln 
than  any  others  I have  ever  met  with.  The  Russell  clay, 
with  the  addition  of  some  flint,  makes  a very  beautiful 
ivory-ware,  almost  exactly  resembling  that  made  by  the  cel- 
brated  firm  of  Copeland  & Sons,  in  England,  for  table  and 
toilet  sets.” 

EEFRACTOKY  CLAYS. 

The  majority  of  the  clays  of  this  part  of  the  State  have 
been  found  to  be  highly  refractory  when  tested  before  the 
blow-pipe,  though  many  of  them  contain  high  percentages  of 
iron  and  potasli,  on  which  their  fusibility  depends.  They 

GEOL.  SUR. — 7. 


98 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  EEATUKES 


vary  in  color  from  nearly  white  to  black,  and  are  more  or 
less  sandy  in  their  character.  Tliey  are  found  in  all  of 
the  counties,  and  in  beds  varying  from  two  to  many  feet  in 
thickness.  Samples  from  many  of  these  localities  have  been 
analyzed,  and  the  results  are  given  below,  preceded  by  a 
descrij)tion  of  each  bed.  For  convenience  the  clays  are  di- 
vided into  the  following  groups:  Drab  Clays  of  the  Hickman 
Bhif's,  Siliceous  Clays  of  the  Columbus  Bluffs,  the  White  or 
light-colored  plastic  Clays,  and  the  Black  or  dark  bluish- 
black  Clays. 

Clays  of  the  Hickman  Bluffs,  Fulton  County. — The  blulfs 
rise  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  that  portion 
of  the  town  lying  on  the  river  bank,  and,  as  shown  in  the 
section  on  page  38,  comprise  sixty-five  feet  of  loam  and 
silt,  and  eleven  feet  of  gravel  and  sand  above  the  clays.  The 
succeeding  beds  downward  comprise  clays,  clay-stones,  and 
joint  clays,  varying  from  each  other  somewhat  in  composi- 
tion, and  in  their  refractory  character.  In  the  following 
table  of  analyses,  these  beds  are  placed  and  described  in 
descending  order,  the  first  two  numbers  being  of  specimens 
taken  from  the  bed  immediately  underlying  the  gravel,  but 
one-fourth  of  a mile  apart. 

No.  2137.  Greenish,  sometimes  bluish  sandy  refractory 
joint  clay,  taken  from  beneath  the  gravel  bed,  one-fourth 
of  a mile  north  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  The  clay  i» 
quite  plastic,  burns  hard,  and  of  a light  greyish-buff  tint. 
Before  the  blow-pipe  it  fuses  with  great  difficulty.  The  bed 
is  several  feet  thick. 

No.  2136.  Greenish,  sometimes  bluish  sandy  refractory 
joint  clay,  taken  from  beneath  the  gravel  bed,  in  the  bluffs 
in  the  upper  part  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  The  dried 
clay  is  of  a light  grey  tint,  colored  in  parts  buff  and  ferru- 
ginous. It  is  moderately  plastic,  and  does  not  calcine  very 
hard,  acquiring  a handsome  light  brick  color.  It  is  refrac- 
tory before  the  blow-pipe.  The  clay  crumbles  easily,  and 
has  a thickness  of  about  six  feet. 

No.  2139.  Soft  crumbling  clay -stone,  refractory,  greyish, 
and  somewhat  sandy,  forming  a ledge  under  the  preceding 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON  S PURCHASE  REGION. 


99 


about  two  feet  tliick.  It  is  somewhat  oclireous  and  quite 
])lastic.  It  burns  hard,  of  a light  grey-buff  tint,  and  before 
the  blow-pipe  it  fuses  with  difficulty. 

No.  2140.  Slate  colored  or  bluish  refractory  joint  clay, 
from  the  Hickman  bluff,  and  underlying  the  preceding.  It 
is  lilac-grey  when  dried,  somewhat  oclireous,  quite  plastic, 
and  burns  quite  hard  to  a light  brownish  tint.  It  is  quite 
refractory  before  the  blow  pipe.  The  bed  is  several  feet 
tliick. 

No.  2138.  Greenish  clay-stone  and  green  refractory  clay, 
from  the  Hickman  bluffs,  and  underlying  the  preceding.  It 
is  banded  with  yellow  ferruginous  lines,  crumbles  easily, 
and  in  places  is  quite  solid.  The  dried  clay  is  light  grey 
in  color.  It  is  quite  plastic,  calcines  to  a light  brick  color, 
and  is  quite  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe.  The  bed  is 
about  ten  feet  thick. 

No.  2141.  Greenish  indurated  and  refractory  joint  clay, 
from  the  lower  portion  of  the  Hickman  bluff,  and  separated 
from  the  preceding  No.  2188  by  eight  feet  of  massive  slate- 
colored  clay-stone,  having  a jointed  structure,  and  in  places 
holding  masses  of  dark  opal.  The  clay  on  drying  assumes  a 
light  olive-grey  color.  It  calcines  quite  hard  to  a brownish- 
buff  color,  and  is  quite  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe.  The 
bed  is  at  least  fifty  feet  thick,  passing  below  the  level  of  the 
alluvial  plain.  This  clay  has  not  been  found  elsewhere  within 
the  Purchase  counties  than  along  the  bluffs  southward  to  the 
Teunessee  line. 

No.  2135.  Greenish  refractory  clays,  from  the  bluffs  at 
Hickmau,  ninety-five  feet  above  low  water.  This  is  the  same 
bed  as  that  of  No.  2141.  The  dried  clay  is  of  a light  grey 
tint,  considerably  mottled  with  light  brownish  ochreous  mate- 
rial. It  is  quite  plastic  with  water,  calcines  to  a reddish 
buff  color,  and  is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe,  but  sintered 
somewhat. 

No.  2134.  Indurated  clay  from  the  bluff  at  Hickman,  forty- 
five  feet  above  low-Avater.  This  is  also  of  the  greenish  clay 
bed  No.  2141,  but  contains  more  iron.  It  is  quite  plastic 
with  water,  calcines  to  a light  buff  color,  and  fuses  before 
the  blow-pipe  into  a grey  slag. 


100 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


CLAYS  OP  THE  BLUFF  AT  HICKMAN,  FULTON  COUNTY. 


Aib  Dbied. 

BeDeath  the  Gravel. 

Descending  order  beneath  No.  2136. 

Above  low  water. 

mile  N. 
of  llick- 
nian. 

Refracto  - 
ry  Clay, 
Hickman 

Unrefrac- 
tory grey- 
ish Clay. 

Refractory  Claye. 

Unrefrac- 
tory clays 

Bluish 
joint  clay 

Greenish 
)el.  clay. 

Greenish 
joint  clay 

95  ft. 

45  ft. 

No.  2137_ 

No.  2136. 

No.  2139. 

No.  2140. 

No.  2138. 

No.  2141. 

No.  2135. 

No.  2134. 

Silica 

71 . 340 

83  380 

71.080 

74.100 

83.600 

77.960 

76.860 

64  800 

Alumina  . . . 

17. J90 

9.800 

19  050 

16  460 

9.940 

13  970 

14  600 

21.070 

Iron  peroxide  . . 

2.770 

2.120 

2.810 

2.700 

2.500 

2.390 

3.020 

5.270 

1.612 

.963 

.627 

.358 

.358 

.134 

.425 

1.400 

Magnesia  .... 

.209 

.187 

.403 

.187 

.173 

.163 

.308 

.050 

Poraeb 

.925 

.617 

.678 

.559 

.639 

.797 

.736 

.646 

.232 

.118 

.225 

.135 

.109 

.124 

.257 

.202 

Water,  etc.  . . . 

5.722 

2 815 

5.227 

5.501 

2.881 

4.462 

3.794 

6.562 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

lOO.OOO 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

Dr.  Peter  says  of  these  clays : It  is  evident  that  the  Ter- 
tiary bluffs,  from  which  these  clays  were  collected,  offer 
some  valuable  materials  to  the  industrial  arts.  Some  of 
these  are  quite  refractory  in  the  fire,  especially  Nos.  2136, 
2138,  2140,  and  2141,  and  would,  probably,  make  good  fire- 
bricks, etc.  ; others  of  them  could  be  employed  for  terra- 
cotta work  and  other  forms  of  pottery,  while  some  of  these 
abundant  deposits  might,  no  doubt,  be  used  with  advantage, 
in  mixture  with  the  more  calcareous  soft  material  found  in 
some  of  these  beds,  in  the  manufacture  of  hydraulic  cement 
of  the  character  of  the  celebrated  Portland  cement. 

Clays  of  the  Columbus  Bluffs. — The  bluffs  that  face  the 
Mississippi  river  at  Columbus,  and  at  the  “chalk  banks” 
two  miles  below,  rise  more  than  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  town,  the  upper  portion  composed  of  thirty  feet  each  of 
grey  silt  or  loess  and  gravel.  Beneath  the  gravel  there  is  a 
bed  of  variegated  colored  plastic  clay,  fifteen  feet  in  thick- 
ness. Beneath  this  there  are  about  eighty-five  feet  of  sili- 
ceous clays,  bluish  when  freshly  exposed,  but  on  drying 
become  greyish  and  highly  indurated.  The  bed  incloses 
fragments  of  stems,  bark  and  leaves,  and  belongs  to  the 
lignitic  division  of  the  Tertiary  formation.  The  bed  in  the 
Columbus  bluff  is  not  continuous,  but  has  been  cut  away  in 
that  portion  lying  nearest  the  town,  and  its  place  filled  with 
thin  beds  of  clay  and  indurated  sands  of  the  Lagrange  group. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


101 


It  also  forms  the  bluff  that  rises  immediately  from  the 
water’s  edge  at  the  “chalk  banks.”  The  three  analyses  that 
are  given  below  are  of  this  bed,  and  Dr.  Peter  reports  that 
they  are  all  very  infusible  before  the  blow-pipe,  and  burn 
hard  to  a light  cream  color.  Their  refractory  character  in 
the  fire  makes  them  useful  for  fire-brick,  though  the  high 
percentage  of  potash  probably  unfits  them  for  use  in  glass 
works  where  an  extreme  heat  is  employed.  Their  fine  sili- 
ceous character  might  also  make  them  useful  as  a scouring 
material. 

These  clay-beds  are  exposed  in  the  bluffs  east  of  the  town ; 
the  siliceous  clays  in  the  deep  ravine  by  the  Clinton  road, 
and  the  upper  plastic  clays  in  the  face  of  the  bluff,  south  of 
the  railroad  cut,  and  by  the  road  leading  down  the  edge  of 
the  bottom.  At  the  “chalk  banks,”  the  siliceous  fire-clays 
have  again  been  cut  away  on  the  north  side,  and  in  their 
place  we  find  the  interstratified  beds  of  fine  plastic  clays 
and  white  sand. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  bluffs  north  of  the  Columbus  ex- 
posures, none  of  the  siliceous  beds  having  been  observed 
until  a short  distance  beyond  Laketon,  after  which  they 
are  seen  occasionally  as  far  as  Wickliffe,  and  northward  to 
Cane  creek.  Belonging,  as  they  do,  to  the  lower  or  lignitic 
Tertiary  formation,  we  naturally  find  them,  further  east,  as- 
sociated with  the  belt  of  dark  clays  in  McCracken  and 
Graves  counties.  Analyses  of  specimens  from  several  locali- 
ties are  given  below. 

No.  2715.  Fire-clay^  from  the  bluff  above  Columbus, 
Hickman  county ; taken  sixty-five  feet  above  low- water. 
It  is  plastic,  and  owes  this  property  to  the  state  of  very 
fine  division  of  the  large  quantity  of  siliceous  sand  which 
it  contains;  its  10.260  per  cent,  of  alumina  being  equivalent 
to  only  25.920  per  cent,  of  kaolin,  the  basis  of  true  clay. 

No.  2162.  Clay,  from  the  bluffs  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
town  of  Columbus,  Hickman  county.  This  is  the  same  bed 
as  the  preceding ; is  of  a light  grey  color,  almost  white,  and 
quite  sandy.  It  is  plastic,  burns  hard,  and  of  a light  cream 
color. 


102 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  2161.  Clay,  from  the  “chalk  banks,”  two  miles  below 
Columbus,  Hickman  county.  It  burns  hard,  is  refractory 
before  the  blow-pipe,  only  sintering  a little. 


WHITE  AND  SILICEOUS  REFRACTORY  CLAYS  OF  HICKMAN 

COUNTY. 


Am  Dried. 

Bluffs  north  of  Columbus. 

Chalk  Banks 
2 miles  south 
of  Columbus. 

No.  2715. 

No.  2162. 

No.  2161. 

Silica 

85.180 

84.918 

76.360 

Alumina 

10.200 

10.560 

14.951 

Iron  peroxide 

1.120 

1.102 

2.109 

Lime 

trace. 

.572 

.325 

Magnesia 

.064 

.108 

.173 

Potash 

.954 

.651 

1.171 

Soda 

.146 

not  est. 

.125 

Water,  etc 

2.276 

2.089 

4.786 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

Sand 

68.500 

69.000 

The  clays  from  the  bluffs  north  of  Columbus  are  the  most 
refractory,  and,  in  composition,  compare  well  with  the  Ger- 
man glass-pot  clay — containing  less  iron  and  a little  more 
potash.  The  alumina  percentage  is  low,  though,  perhaps, 
sufficient.  At  any  rate,  the  clays  of  both  Columbus  and  the 
“chalk  banks”  are  fully  worth  a trial  at  an  intense  heat. 

White  or  light  colored  Plastic  Clays. — These  are  found 
in  greater  or  less  beds  in  each  of  the  counties,  but  belong 
especially  to  the  formation  known  as  the  Lagrange  group  of 
the  Tertiary,  and  were  deposited  since  the  deposition  of  the 
black  clays.  They  are  usually  white  or  light  purple  in  color, 
highly  plastic  when  dry,  adhering  strongly  to  the  tongue, 
and  when  cut  present  a very  smooth,  unctuous  surface.  The 
beds  vary  in  thickness  from  a few  inches  to  many  feet.  The 
chief  localities  of  occurrence  are  as  follows: 

No.  2640.  White  Pipe-clay.,  from  Rufus  Morris’  place,  three 
miles  east  of  New  Providence,  Calloway  county.  It  is  over- 
laid by  about  ten  feet  of  loam  and  gravel.  The  bed  is  made 
up  of  two  inches  of  clay,  then  two  inches  of  a white  sand. 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


103 


overlying  anotlier  bed  of  about  eighteen  inches  of  white 
clay,  which  rests  upon  a thin  layer  of  ferruginous  sandstone. 
The  latter  separates  it  from  the  bed  of  black  pyritous  clay, 
No.  ISCG,  described  elsewhere.  The  thickest  part  of  the  bed 
contains  small  pockets  of  a fine  white  sand,  and  occasional 
spots  of  ochreous  clay.  This  clay,  at  the  Rookwood  pottery, 
made  a white  biscuit  when  unglazed,  but,  on  being  glazed, 
became  of  a brownish-white  color,  unsuited  to  the  finer 
classes  of  ware. 

No.  2643.  White  Plastic  Clay^  from  Russell’s  pottery,  six 
miles  north-east  of  Murray,  Calloway  county.  A section  of 
the  bed  shows  the  following:  a surface  covering  of  six  feet 
of  brown  loam,  four  and  a half  feet  of  sandy  clay,  one  foot 
of  white  clay,  one  and  a half  feet  of  black  clay,  and  three 
feet  of  fine  white  clay,  underlaid  by  brownish  sandy  clay 
and  yellow  micaceous  sand.  At  the  Rookwood  pottery,  this 
clay  made  a beautiful,  light  cream-colored  ware.  Dr.  Lan- 
genbeck  says  of  this  clay:  “With  the  addition  of  sonae 
Hint,  makes  a very  beautiful  ivory-ware,  almost  exactly 
resembling  that  made  by  the  celebrated  firm  of  Copeland 
& Sons,  in  England,  for  table  and  toilet  sets.”  It  requires 
a high  heat  for  burning,  and  would  be  improved  by  mixing 
with  other  clays. 

No.  2639.  White  Clay,  from  one  mile  east  of  Wyatt’s 
school-house,  in  the  north-west  corner  of  Calloway  county. 
This  clay  is  very  white,  has  a few  ochreous  spots,  and  is 
exposed  at  a number  of  points  in  the  bank  of  a creek  be- 
neath a few  feet  deposit  of  gravel  and  loam,  and  in  beds 
from  three  to  ten  feet  thick,  its  true  thickness  being  un- 
known. It  outcrops  also  in  the  bluff  at  Backusburg.  In 
places  it  has  a bluish  and  in  others  a pinkish  tint.  The 
upper  eighteen  inches  of  the  bed  is  usually  of  a mottled 
character,  but  altogether  is  highly  plastic.  The  beds  here 
belong  to  Messrs.  Sanders,  Keen  and  Jackson;  quantities  of 
the  clay  have  been  shipped  to  the  Evansville  stoneware  pot- 
teries, but  the  yellow  ferruginous  spots  unfit  it  for  such 
white  ware.  The  Rookwood  trials  produced  a brownish- 
white  color  when  glazed. 


104 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  2666.  Clay^  from  Howard’s  pottery  at  Bell  City, 
Graves  county.  The  clay  is  of  a light  brownish-grey  color 
with  yellow  ferruginous  spots,  and  with  some  purplish, 
round  and  hollow  concretions.  It  is  infusible  before  the 
blow-pipe.  The  bed  is  from  six  to  ten  feet  thick,  and  is 
used  here  in  the  manufacture  of  the  ordinary  brown  jugs, 
jars,  etc.  It  burns  at  a moderate  temperature,  and,  with  a 
white  slip-clay,  would  make  cream-colored  ware. 

No.  2663.  Slijf  Plastic  Clay,  from  Pittman’s  bank,  three 
miles  west  of  Lynnville,  Graves  county.  The  clay  is  very 
line,  of  a brownish-grey  color,  and  infusible  before  the  blow- 
pipe It  is  used  by  Mr.  Pittman  at  his  x>ottery,  two  miles 
south  of  Lynnville,  but  its  very  stiff  and  intractable  charac- 
ter compels  him  to  mix  with  it  a silty  clay  found  in  the 
hill-sides  near  the  pottery. 

The  clay  bed  is  very  massive,  its  fresh,  vertical  surface 
showing  very  pretty  lamination  markings.  The  bed  is  ex- 
posed for  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  is  partly  purplish 
in  color,  and  holds  some  thin  layers  of  a line  sand.  The 
tests  at  the  Rookwood  pottery  show  a shrinkage  of  about 
ten  per  cent.;  the  unglazed  biscuit  is  milky- white,  but  the 
glazing  gives  to  it  a brownish  color. 

No.  2141.  Clay  from  Wm.  P.  Arnett’s  land  on  Panther 
creek,  six  miles  east  of  Mayfield,  Graves  county.  The  bed 
is  exposed  for  about  eight  feet  above  the  water,  a bed  of 
lignite  appearing  below  the  water  at  a point  near  by.  The 
clay  is  bluish  when  wet  but  grey  when  dry,  and  is  quite 
sandy.  It  is  quite  plastic,  and  burns  to  a light  salmon 
color ; does  not  become  very  hard  unless  exposed  to  a very 
high  temperature.  It  is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe. 

No.  2573.  Fire-clay,  from  the  bank  of  the  branch  near 
the  stave  factory  at  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county.  This  bed  is 
exposed  for  a thickness  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  under- 
lies a thin  bed  of  lignite.  It  is  again  exposed  in  the  bluffs 
between  Wickliffe  and  Fort  Jefferson.  It  is  dark-grey  in 
color,  highly  siliceous,  with  more  than  fifty-three  per  cent, 
of  fine  sand,  and  fuses  with  difficulty  before  the  blow-pipe ; 
it  calcines  white.  The  Rookwood  pottery-tests  show  that 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puuchase  kkoion. 


105 


it  burns  with  moderate  heat  to  a buff  or  light  yellowish- 
brown  color,  and  would  make  the  Rockingham  ware. 

No.  2568.  Refractory  White  Clay,  from  one-half  mile 
north-west  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county.  It  is  quite  i)las- 
tic,  contains  no  appreciable  coarse  sand.  It  is  infusible  be- 
fore the  blow-pipe,  and  calcines  white. 

No.  2104.  Refractory  Clay,  from  near  Moore’s  mill,  one 
mile  south-west  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county.  It  is  ex- 
posed in  the  foot  of  the  high  bluffs  that  face  the  bottom 
lands  of  Maylield  creek.  A bed  of  lignite  overlies  it  at 
another  point.^  When  freshly  exposed  it  is  bluish  in 
color,  but  dries  to  a light  grey  color,  nearly  white,  but 
with  some  yellow  ochreous  spots.  It  is  quite  plastic,  cal- 
cines to  a light  salmon  color,  and  is  quite  refractory  before 
the  blow-pipe.  It  contains  nearly  forty-eight  per  cent,  of 
white  sand,  which  was  so  fine  that  it  was  somewhat  plastic 
while  wet  and  adherent  when  dry.  The  shrinkage  of  this 
clay,  as  shown  by  ^:ests  at  the  Rookwood  pottery,  is  about 
fifteen  per  cent.,  and  the  ware  made  from  it  is  colored  dark 
buff  or  yellowish. 

No.  2571.  White  Plastic  Clay,  from  the  banks  of  Cane 
creek,  two  miles  north  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county.  This 
is  silty  in  character,  but  quite  plastic,  as  shown  in  the 
large  percentage  of  alumina  present.  The  bed  has  a thick- 
ness of  several  feet.  It  contains  much  fine  white  opaque 
sand ; is  infusible  before  the  blow-pipe,  and  calcines  white. 
It  would  make  a good  fire-brick,  containing,  as  it  does,  com- 
paratively little  iron  and  potash  in  its  composition. 

No.  2105.  Clay  from  the  farm  of  T.  D.  Campbell,  near 
Lake  ton,  Ballard  county.  It  has  a light  purplish-grey  color, 
with  a few  ochreous  specks,  and  somewhat  sandy.  It  is  quite 
plastic,  decrepitates  strongly  when  exposed  to  heat,  unless  it 
is  thoroughly  dry.  Calcines  hard,  and  before  the  blow-pipe 
is  quite  refractory. 

No.  4.  Clay  from  Mr.  Samuel’s  farm,  four  miles  south  of 
Blandville,  Ballard  county.  Exhibits  minute  spangles  of  mica 
under  the  lens ; heated  before  the  blow-pipe,  it  becomes  first 
dark  colored,  then  burns  white. 


106 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  2570.  Plastic  Clay,  from  Geo.  Ryan’s  place,  on  the 
north  bluff  of  Little  Mayfield  creek,  four  miles  north-east  of 
Milburn,  Ballard  county.  It  is  exposed  in  a number  of 
places  along  this  bluff,  with  a thickness  of  four  feet.  It  is 
very  stiff,  and  contains  some  fine  sand.  It  is  infusible  be- 
fore the  blow-pipe,  and  calcines  to  a light-grey  color. 

No.  2569.  Bluish  Plastic  Clay,  from  a ravine  near  the 
road,  three  miles  east  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county.  On 
drying,  it  is  of  a light  buff -grey  color;  contains  no  coarse 
sand.  Before  the  blow-pipe  it  fuses  with  difficulty,  and 
calcines  to  a light  grey  color.  It  has  an  observed  thickness 
of  about  three  feet,  and  underlies  a bed  of  red  sand. 

No.  2759.  Micaceous  Clay,  from  the  place  of  F.  N.  Bur- 
radell,  five  miles  north  of  Benton,  Marshall  county.  It 
occurs  in  layers  with  white  sand,  and  is  interspersed  with 
small  pockets  of  the  sand,  but  otherwise  is  quite  jjlastic. 
It  outcrops  in  several  places,  but  its  thickness  is  not  known. 
It  is  infusible  before  the  blow-pipe,  and  calcines  hard. 
Washed  in  water,  it  left  70.33  per  cent,  of  fine  whitish 
sand,  containing  small  mica  scales.  The  Rookwood  test 
gave  a milky-white  unglazed  biscuit,  which  became  a rather 
dark  cream  color  on  glazing.  Its  shrinkage  is  ten  per  cent. 

No.  2763.  Micaceous  Clay,  from  J.  T.  Pugh’s  place,  two 
miles  east  of  Palma,  Marshall  county.  When  freshly  ex- 
posed it  has  a light  bluish  cast,  but  becomes  greyish  on  dry- 
ing. It  is  plastic,  and  fuses  with  great  difficulty  before  the 
blow-pipe.  It  holds  small  pockets  of  a white  sand,  and  has 
a thickness  of  several  feet.  The  Rookwood  test  produced 
a white  unglazed  biscuit,  which  on  glazing  became  a dark 
cream  color.  Its  shrinkage  is  about  fifteen  per  cent. 

No.  2211.  Clay  from  Mr.  MuniePs,  five  miles  south  of 
Paducah,  McCracken  county.  The  bed  is  massive,  and  its 
thickness  unknown.  The  clay  is  bluish  when  first  exposed, 
but  dries  to  a light  grey  color,  nearly  white,  and  mottled 
with  a very  light  ochreous  material.  It  is  quite  plastic ; 
before  the  blow-pipe  it  burnt  hard,  of  a light  grey  color, 
nearly  white,  and  finally  fused  with  great  difficulty.  Tests 
made  in  the  Rookwood  pottery  gave  a white,  unglazed 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  rURCHASE  REGION 


107 


biscuit,  and  showed  a shrinkage  of  about  fifteen  per  cent. 
The  clay  is  exposed  on  the  side  of  a long  sloping  hill,  and 
has  but  comparatively  little  surface  covering  of  earth. 

REFRACTORY  WHITE  OR  LIGHT  COLORED  CLAYS. 


Aia  Dried. 

• 

Calloway  County. 

Graves  County. 

Marshall  f-o. 

McCr. 

Co. 

-j  -3. 

s:®- 

2 '9 

g s 

o 

• ^ 
. n 

. ^ 

of 

si 

a 

^ oT 

§. 

* S’ 

o> 
® 
> B3 

m 

Near  Wyatt’s  school 
bouse  

Howard’ 8,  Bell 
City 

Pittman’s,  3 miles 
west  of  Lynnville  . 

Panther  creek  east 
of  Mayfield  .... 

Burradell’s,  6 miles 
north  of  Benton  . . 

Pugh’s,  2 miles  east 
of  Palma 

South  of  Paducah  . 

No.2640 

No.  2643 

No.  2639 

No.  2666 

No.  2663 

No.  2141 

No.  2759 

No.  2763 

No.  2211 

Silica 

61.680 

57.840 

46.020 

56.980 

62.680 

75.650 

84.580 

62.920 

64  480 

Alumina 

28.600 

30.340 

38  980 

32. '60 

25.880 

16.751 

10. 650 

29.880 

24.691 

Iron  peroxide  ..... 

1.680 

1.180 

trace. 

2.160 

2.900 

1.198 

.330 

trace. 

1.869 

Lime 

.101 

.011 

.773 

trace. 

trace. 

trace. 

.1.37 

trace. 

.448 

Magnesia 

.136 

.050 

.136 

.209 

.319 

.144 

.101 

. .209 

.137 

Potash  

1 158 

.618 

.309 

.838 

1.147 

1.094 

.954 

1 .564 

1.457 

Soda 

.822 

.519 

.172 

.111 

,928 

.216 

.292 

.172 

.083 

Water,  etc 

5.923 

9.442 

13.610 

7.542 

6.146 

5.047 

2.956 

5.255 

6.835 

Total  

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100  000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

Sand 

16.440 

63.000 

70.330 

REFRACTORY  WHITE  AND  LIGHT  COLORED  CLAYS. 


Ballard  County. 


Aie  Dried. 

Wickliffe 

Blandville 

South-west  of  Bland- 
ville   

Cane  creek,  north  of 
Wickliffe 

Campbell’s,  near 
Laketon 

Four  miles  sooth  of 
Blandville  .... 

Four  miles  north- 
east of  Milburn.  . 

Three  miles  east  of 
Blandville  .... 

No.  2573 

No.  2568 

No.  2104 

No.  2571 

No.  2105 

No.  4. 

No.  2570 

No.  2569 

Silica 

73.240 

74.840 

74.460 

63.840 

67.501 

71.940 

76.540 

71.180 

Alumina 

15.760 

16.580 

18.070 

26.040 

23.051 

20.700 

14.820 

20.800 

Iron  peroxide.  . . 

1.920 

1.400 

1.633 

.740 

2.109 

trace. 

.960 

1 780 

Lime 

.325 

.269 

.314 

trace. 

.257 

.370 

trace. 

trace. 

Magnesia 

.519 

.209 

245 

.137 

.065 

.360 

.331 

101 

Potash 

1.467 

1.293 

.940 

.714 

.412 

.630 

.926 

.247 

Soda 

.147 

.283 

.021 

.207 

.020 

.229 

.291 

Water,  etc 

6.622 

6.126 

4.317 

8.322 

6.585 

6.200 

6.194 

5.601 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

lUO.OOO 

100.000 

100.190 

100.000 

100.000 

Sand 

53  490 

48.000 

44.000 

Of  the  above  clays,  that  from  near  Wyatt’s  school-house, 
in  the  north-western  corner  of  Calloway  county,  is,  by  far, 


108 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


the  richest  in  clay,  and  at  the  same  time  contains  the  least 
amount  of  alkalies  and  iron,  and  the  highest  percentage  of 
lime.  The  bed  itself,  however,  is  more  or  less  permeated 
with  light  streaks  of  yellow  ochre,  which  would  give  to  the 
whole  more  than  a trace  of  iron.  The  next  in  purity,  or  in 
freedom  from  iron  and  the  alkalies,  is  that  from  four  miles 
south  of  Blandville,  in  Ballard  county  (No.  4),  which  con- 
tains but  little  more  than  half  a per  cent,  of  iron  and  alka- 
lies. The  two  clays  from  Marshall  county,  and  the  specimen 
from  Cane  creek,  immediately  north  of  Wickliffe,  in  Ballard 
county,  come  next,  with  their  one  and  a half  per  cent.,  re- 
spectively, while  in  all  the  other  specimens  the  combined 
percentages  of  iron,  potash  and  soda  are  above  two  per  cent. 

A few  of  the  clays  contain  a very  large  amount  of  sand; 
but  this  would  be  separated  from  the  finer  material  in  the 
]irocess  of  manufacture  of  any  ware.  The  analyses  are, 
therefore,  calculated  upon  only  the  fine  material. 

Black  and  BluisJi-hlack  Clays. — The  clays-  of  this  division 
are  confined  to  the  Cretaceous  and  lower  or  lignitic  Tertiary 
belts  that  pass  through  Calloway,  Marshall,  McCracken  and 
Ballard  counties,  and  also  to  the  Port  Hudson  division  of 
the  Quaternary,  which  occurs  in  the  valley  and  bottom  lands 
of  the  three  bordering  rivers.  The  dark  color  is  chiefly  due 
to  decayed  vegetable  matter,  which  burns  out  with  sufficient 
heat.  The  dark  color  is  also  intensified  by  moisture,  becom- 
ing a lighter  black  on  drying. 

The  clays  of  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  divisions  are 
very  refractory,  and  would  possibly  make  good  fire-brick ; 
but  those  of  the  Port  Hudson  contain  so  large  an  amount 
of  iron  and  potash  that  they  fuse  with  readiness  before  the 
blow-pipe. 

No.  2641.  Black  Plastic  Clay.,  from  Rufus  Morris’  place, 
three  miles  east  of  New  Providence,  Calloway  county.  It 
underlies  the  white  plastic  clay  No.  1865,  and  its  thickness  is 
unknown.  On  drying,  it  becomes  a light  slate  color.  It  con- 
tains, in  places,  much  iron  pyrites  in  small  rounded  grains. 
It  is  imperfectly  laminated,  fine-grained,  and  its  powder  is 
quite  soft. 

No.  2642.  Stiff  Bark  Joint  Clay.,  or  so-called  “soapstone,” 


OF  THE  Jackson's  fukchask  uechon. 


109 


from  the  blulT  of  the  East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river,  at  the  Paris 
bridge,  sonth  of  Murray,  Calloway  county.  It  is  the  charac- 
teristic clay  of  the  eastern  outcrop  of  the  lignitic  Tertiary, 
reaching  from  the  Tennessee  State  line  northward  to  Padu- 
cah, and  thence  westward  to  Caledonia,  on  the  Ohio  river. 
Its  thickness  is,  at  some  points,  as  much  as  ninety  feet.  It 
is  more  or  less  ochreous  in  character,  its  fractures  or  joints 
being  usually  permeated  with  yellow  ochre.  It  is  highly 
indurated  and  somewhat  micaceous.  Tests  made  * at  the 
Rookwood  i^ottery  indicate  that  it  can  not  be  used  for  glazed 
ware  because  of  the  shivering  of  the  glaze.  It  might  be 
successfully  used  in  the  manufacture  of  water  jars,  which 
require  no  glazing.  The  unglazed  biscuit  is  pink  in  color. 
Mixed  with  an  equal  weight  of  the  white . j^lastic  clay  from 
Russell's  pottery,  east  of  Murray,  it  receives  a good  glaze, 
and  makes  a light  chocolate-colored  ware,  dotted  with  black 
specks  from  the  mica  particles. 

No.  2644.  Dark  Clay,  from  the  place  of  F.  H.  Mahan, 
Esq.,  six  miles  east  of  Murray,  Calloway  county.  The  clay 
is  black  when  freshly  exposed,  but  on  drying  becomes  a 
purplish-slate  color,  and  contains  fine  white  sand  and  min- 
ute specks  of  mica.  Its  depth  is  not  known,  but  must  be 
many  feet.  It  is  here  exposed  in  the  side  of  a long  sloping 
hill,  and  there  are  but  a few  feet  of  overlying  material.  The 
Rookwood  tests  produced  a yellowish-white  ware,  a little 
darker  than  that  from  Russell’s  pottery,  which  is  so  highly 
admired.  Dr.  Langenbeck,  who  superintended  the  tests, 
thinks,  that  mixed  with  a little  flint  it  would  not  require 
high  heat,  and  would  make  very  pretty  cream-colored  ware. 

The  dark  color  of  these  clays  seems  to  be  due  to  the  vege- 
table matter,  which  burns  out,  leaving  a greyish  mass.  The 
alkali  percentages  are  about  what  are  found  in  the  other 
clays,  while  that  of  the  iron  in  the  specimen  from  the 
Paris  bridge,  near  Murray,  is  very  large,  showing  itself 
as  a yellow  ochre  in  the  cracks  and  seams  in  the  clay. 
The  amount  of  lime  is  very  small. 


110 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


REFRACTORY  BLACK  CLAYS. 


Air  Dried. 

Calloway  County. 

Morris’,  east 
of  New  Prov- 
idence. 

At  Paris 
Bridge, 
Murray. 

Mahan’s, 
north-east  of 
Murray. 

Black  Plastic 
Clay. 

Stiff  joint 
Clay. 

Bluish  Clay. 

No.  2641. 

No.  2642. 

No.  2644. 

Silica  ■ ■ . , 

66.680 

66.380 

54.140 

Alumina 

29.700 

16.480 

32.140 

Iron  peroxide  

1.480 

3.500 

1.040 

Lime  

trace. 

,213 

.011 

Magnesia 

.281 

.497 

.032 

Potash 

1.004 

.928 

.965 

Soda 

.274 

.228 

.468 

W ater  expelled  at  380°  F 

10.581 

11.774 

11.204 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

Sand  i 

39,780 

39.000 

COMPARISON  WITH  GERMAN  CLAYS. 

A number  of  our  Kentucky  clays  compare  very  favorably 
in  their  analytical  results  with  the  German  glass-pot  clays, 
which  are  so  celebrated  for  their  great  refractory  character. 
As  will  be  seen  in  the  table  given  below,  the  percentages  of 
iron  and  potash,  the  injurious  ingredients,  are  comparatively 
but  little  above  those  of  the  German  clays,  and  in  several 
instances  one  or  the  other  is  much  less ; while  in  the  Callo  ■ 
way  county  clay,  No.  2639,  there  is  only  a trace  of  iron,  a 
small  amount  of  potash,  and  very  large  percentages  of  silica 
and  alumina,  making  this  a far  purer  clay  than  the  German ; 
in  fact  almost  a TcaoUnite  or  hydrous  silicate  of  alumina,  a 
mineral  with  the  composition  of — silica  46.3,  alumina  39.8, 
and  water  13.9  per  cent. 

There  is  but  little  doubt  that  these  clays  can  take  the 
place  of  the  German  clays  in  those  establishments  where 
they  would  be  required  to  withstand  the  most  intense  heat. 
They  are  at  least  worthy  of  the  trial.  Transportation  facili- 
ties alone  are  in  favor  of  the  German  clays,  which  are 
brought  over  as  ballast  in  vessels,  and,  therefore,  at  a very 
low  cost  to  those  who  use  them. 


OF  THK  JACKSON’S  PUUCIIASE  IlEOION. 


11] 


The  German  fire-clays  are  supposed  to  be  the  most  refrac- 
tory clays  known,  and  are  imported  for  the  construction  of 
crucibles  to  withstand  a very  high  heat,  but  particularly  for 
our  glass  manufacturers,  who  seem  to  agree  that  no  other 
known  clay  will  so  conipletely  withstand  the  great  heat  of 
their  furnaces,  and  the  fluxing  influence  of  the  melted  glass, 
as  this.  It  is  consequently  almost  universally  used  by  them 
as  the  material  for  the  construction  of  the  glass-pots  or 
large  crucibles  in  which  the  glass  is  made  and  melted.  On 
a visit  to  the  International  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Phila- 
delphia, the  attention  of  Dr.  Peter,  the  chemist  of  this  Sur- 
vey, was  attracted  to  an  exhibit  of  this  clay,  made  by  J. 
Goebel  & Co.,  importers  of  German  clay  and  manufacturers 
of  crucibles,  etc..  Maiden  Lane,  New  York.  It  showed  the 
clay  in  its  natural  and  prepared  conditions,  and  accompany- 
ing the  specimens  was  a report  of  the  chemical  analysis  of 
the  material,  said  to  have  been  made  in  Germany,  a copy 
of  which  is  given  below.  Dr.  Peter  also  secured  a sample 
from  what  appeared  to  be  a washed  and  prepared  specimen 
on  exhibition,  which  had  been  moulded  into  a cubical  block, 
and  which  he  has  analyzed. 

Another  specimen  was  obtained  at  the  co-operative  window- 
glass  works,  at  the  foot  of  Coal  Hill,  opposite  Pittsburg, 
from  a barrel  of  the  material  which  was  said  to  be  in  the 
condition  in  which  it  was  imported  from  Germany.  Its 
analysis  was  also  made  by  Dr.  Peter,  and  is  given  below. 

H.  German  Clay,  obtained  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition. 

It  is  of  a light  grey  color ; adheres  strongly  to  the  tongue, 
and  exhibits  a large  irregularly  conchoidal  fracture.  Before 
the  blow  pipe,  it  fused  only  on  the  extremity  of  the  small 
pointed  fragment  into  a white  slag. 

I.  German  Glass-jpot  Clay,  obtained  at  the  co-operative  • 
window-glass  works  in  Pittsburg.  This  had  not  been  re- 
worked or  washed.  It  resembles  the  preceding,  but  is  a 
little  more  friable  and  slightly  lighter  colored.  Its  powder, 
however,  is  somewhat  darker  than  the  powder  of  that. 
Before  the  blow-pipe,  it  acted  like  the  preceding. 

J.  Copy  of  the  analysis  of  this  clay  made  in  Germany, 
as  exhibited  by  J.  Goebel  & Co. 


112 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  203^.  Refractory  Clay,  from  one  mile  east  of  Wyatt’s 
school-lioiise,  in  the  north-western  part  of  Calloway  county, 
Kentucky. 

No.  2162.  Refractory  Clay,  from  the  bluffs  at  Columbus, 
Hickman  county. 

No.  2571.  Refractory  Clay,  from  Cane  creek,  two  miles 
north  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county. 

No.  4.  Refractory  Clay,  from  four  miles  south  of  Bland- 
ville,  Ballard  county. 

No.  2643.  Refractory  Clay,  from  Russell’s  pottery,  six 
miles  east  of  Murray,  Calloway  county.  This  clay  is  pre- 
eminent for  the  beautifully  cream- colored  ware  made  from  it 
at  the  Rookwood  pottery,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  above  Kentucky  clays  have  been  described  on  a pre- 
vious page,  and  their  analyses  given. 

COMPARATIVE  ANALYSES  OF  GERMAN  GLASS-POT  CLAY  AND 

KENTUCKY  CLAYS. 


Kentucky  Clays. 

Dried  at  212°  F. 

German  Clays. 

o 

p 

C o* 

S ^ 

3 

o‘ 

avr 

% 3 

D a 
<< 

Ballard  Co. 

O 

£. 

§ < 
p.* 

Q 

H. 

I. 

J. 

No.  2639 

No.  2162 

No.  2571 

No.  4 

No.  2613 

Silica  and  sand 

Alumina 

Iron  peroxide 

Iron  sulphide 

Lime  

Magnesia 

Potash 

Soda 

Water  expelled  at  red  heat  . . . 

70,860 

20.900 

1.560 

.347 

.220 

.578 

.112 

6.800 

73.660 

19.460 

1.560 

.168 

.209 

.520 

.046 

6.200 

70  60 
23.60 

V'ld 

.36 
.45 
not  est. 
not  est 
•*3.89 

46  020 
38  980 
trace. 

ni 

136 

.309 

.172 

13.610 

84  918 
10.560 
1.102 

.572 
.108 
.651 
not  est 
2 089 

63  840 
26.040 
.740 

trace. 

.137 

.714 

,207 

8.322 

71 . 940 
20.700 
trace. 

.370 

.350 

.630 

* 6.200 

57.840 

30.340 

1.180 

.011 

.050 

.618 

519 

9.442 

Total 

101.377 

101  .’823 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100  000 

100.090 

100.000 

Sand 

4,000 

3.500 

44.00 

’Organic  matter  and  loss. 


UNREFRACTORY  CLAYS. 

Clays  of  this  class,  which  yield  more  or  less  readily  to  the 
heat  of  the  blow-pipe,  and  fuse  into  slag,  are  found  in  a num- 
ber of  the  counties,  but  seem  to  be  chiefly  confined  to  those 
lying  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Purchase  region,  viz. : Me- 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


113 


Cracken,  Graves,  Marshall  and  Calloway;  all  of  those  ex 
aniined  on  the  west  being  entirely  on  nearly  infusible.  They 
vary  in  color  from  nearly  white  to  dark  black,  some  of  them 
highly  gypseous,  and  two  others  having  a sprinkling  of 
specks  of  the  mineral  viviianite,  a phosphate  of  iron. 

Geologically,  they  are  older  than  the  Quaternary,  and,  as 
the  class  of  infusible  clays  just  described,  are  covered  by 
the  gravel,  sand  and  brown  loam  of  that  period.  They 
embrace  some  of  the  white  varieties  belonging  to  the  in- 
termediate period  between  the  Tertiary  and  Quaternary,  and 
the  black  clays  of  the  next  higher  or  ^ Port  Hudson  group. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  analyses  given  below,  they  differ 
from  the  refractory  class  in  having  a larger  proportion  of 
i^otash  and  iron,  which  imparts  to  them  their  fusible  char- 
acter. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  localities  examined,  and  the 
composition  of  the  clay  from  each  is  given  below : 

No.  2777.  Stiff  Clay,  from  a deep  ravine  on  the  place  of 
W.  J.  Jones,  four  miles  south  of  Paducah,  McCracken 
county.  The  bed  has  an  exposure  of  several  feet,  the  cen- 
tral six  inches  of  which  is  very  brittle,  with  some  yellow 
ochre.  It  is  overlaid  by  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  gravel  and 
loam.  When  freshly  exposed  it  has  a bluish  color,  which 
changes  on  drying  to  a greyish  tint.  It  fuses  with  difficulty 
before  the  blow-pipe,  and  calcines  white.  The  Rookwood 
tests  produced  a buff-colored  unglazed  biscuit,  and  showed 
a shrinkage  of  about  fifteen  per  cent. 

No.  2779.  Gypseous  Clay,  from  W.  J.  Hough’s,  four  miles 
south-west  of  Paducah,  McCracken  county.  It  has  an  ex- 
posure of  about  five  feet,  and  contains  small  pockets  of  fine 
needle  crystals  of  gypsum  ; it  is  in  places  somewhat  sandy 
and  with  ochreous  spots.  It  is  exposed  in  the  bank  of  a 
branch,  and  has  but  a few  feet  of  surface  covering  of  gravel 
and  loam.  It  calcines  white,  and  fuses  slightly  before  the 
blow-pijje.  The  Rookwood  pottery  test  shows  a shrinkage 
of  about  twelve  and  a half  per  cent.,  the  glazed  biscuit 
having  a dark-cream  or  light-buff-color. 

No.  2778.  Purplish  Plastic  Clay,  from  Mitchell’s  place, 

GEOL.  SUR. — 8. 


114 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


north  bluff  of  Mayfield  creek,  three  miles  east  of  Lovelace* 
ville,  McCracken  county.  The  bed  is  about  three  feet  thick, 
and  variegated  in  color  from  white  to  purple  and  yellowish. 
It  is  sandy  in  places,  and  fuses  to  a grey  color  before  the 
blow-pipe. 

No.  2664.  Stiff  Plastic  Clay,  from  the  railroad  cut  imme- 
diately south  of  Guill  Hill  and  three  miles  south  of  Wingo, 
Graves  county.  This  clay  has  a bluish  cast  while  fresh  in 
its  bed,  but  dries  to  a whiter  color.  It  is  fused  with  great 
difficulty  before  the  blow-pipe. 

A section  of  the  cut  shows  surface  loam  five  feet,  gravel 
one  to  three  feet,  thin  and  uneven  purplish  clay  a few 
inches,  indurated  red  sand  five  feet,  fine  mottled  micaceous 
sand  in  thin  lamime,  somewhat  clayey,  three  feet,  and  the 
bed  of  the  above  plastic  clay,  three  feet  of  which  is  ex- 
posed in  the  foot  of  the  bank.  This  clay  has  been  tried  for 
the  ordinary  pottery ; but,  after  burning,  the  ware  cracked, 
and  not  knowing  how  to  obviate  the  difficulty,  the  work 
was  abandoned  by  the  owner.  The  tests  made  at  the 
Rookwood  pottery  produced  a brownish  biscuit  even  when 
unglazed,  whose  shrinkage  was,  however,  only  seven  and 
one-half  per  cent. 

No.  2665.  Plastic  Clay,  from  the  hill-side  immediately 
north  of  Boaz  Station,  Graves  county.  The  bed  is  com- 
posed of  three  feet  of  a creamy-white  clay,  underlaid  by 
two  feet  of  a stiff  purple  clay,  both  containing  beautiful 
impressions  of  fossil  leaves.  A sand  underlies  the  bed.  But 
little  trouble  would  be  experienced  in  getting  out  this  clay 
for  shipment  or  for  local  use,  as  the  surface  covering  is  but 
a few  feet  thick  until  the  bluffs  are  reached  some  distance 
eastward. 

The  white  clay,  tested  at  the  Rookwood  pottery,  burned 
at  a low  temperature,  and  made  a biscuit  rather  too  dark 
for  cream-colored  ware,  though,  when  unglazed,  it  is  milky- 
white. 

No.  2760.  Plastic  Clay,  from  H.  S.  Gray’s  place,  in  the 
bed  of  a branch  immediately  south  of  Scale,  Marshall  county. 
The  clay  is  bluish*  when  freshly  exposed,  but  dries  to  a 


OF  Tii?:  Jackson’s  ruKciiASE  up:oion. 


115 


greyish -white,  and  contains  some  spots  of  yellow  oclire, 
with  some  line  sand  in  thin  laminm.  It  fused  before  the 
blow-pipe.  The  Rookwood  test  gave  a bulf-colored  glazed 
biscuit. 

No.  2762.  DarTc  Clay,  with  small  specks  of  deep  blue 
vivianite  from  the  Tennessee  river  landing  at  Highland,  Mar- 
shall county.  On  drying  it  becomes  a light  greyish-brown 
color.  The  particles  of  vivianite  are  frequently  white  on 
being  freshly  exposed,  but  turn  blue  after  a while.  The 
bank  of  the  river  here  is  made  up  of  a surface  deposit  of 
seven  feet  of  micaceous  loam,  fifteen  feet  of  interlaminated 
light-bluish  clay  and  yellow  sand,  ten  feet  of  blue  micaceous 
clay  in  layers  of  one  and  two  feet  thickness,  with  some  yel- 
low sand  and  ferruginous  concretions.  The  lower  clay  bed 
contains  the  vivianite.  The  large  amount  of  iron  and  potash 
in  this  clay  causes  it  to  fuse  before  the  blow-pipe.  On  burn- 
ing it  makes  a dark  red  biscuit,  and  m’ixed  with  fine  sand 
would  make  nice  pressed  red  brick  and  terra-cotta. 

No.  2781.  Blue  Micaceous  Clay,  with  small  particles  of 
vivianite,  from  a deep  ravine,  opening  into  the  Ohio,  in  the 
western  edge  of  Paducah,  McCracken  county.  This  clay, 
like  that  of  Highland,  just  described,  is  interlaminated  with 
a yellow  sand,  and  overlaid  by  eight  or  ten  feet  of  loam. 
Before  the  blow-pipe  it  fuses  to  a grey  mass. 

No.  2780.  Micaceous  Clay,  from  Mr.  Armstrong’s  place, 
one-half  mile  east  of  Boring’s  Ford,  on  Clark’s  river,  or 
seven  miles  south-east  of  Paducah,  McCracken  county.  The 
clay  is  very  sandy  and  micaceous,  bluish  when  wet,  but 
dries  to  dark  grey  color.  The  thickness  is  unknown.  The 
upper  six  inches  has  a yellow  color,  the  whole  overlaid 
by  but  a few  feet  of  gravel  and  loam.  Before  the  blow- 
pipe it  fuses  to  a grey  color.  At  the  Rookwood  pottery 
the  ochre  gave  to  the  biscuit  a handsome  deep  brick- red 
color.  The  shrinkage  was  about  twelve  per  cent. 


116 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURPIS 


UNREPRACTORY  CLAYS. 


Air  Dried. 

Light  Colored  Clay. 

Bluish  or  Dark  Clays. 

McCracken  County. 

Graves  County. 

Marshall  Co. 

McCracken  Co. 

Jones’,  three  miles 
south  of  Paducah. 

a 

2," 

a." 

§3 

p — 

‘^05 

’ CO 

Mitchell’s,  3 miles  E. 
of  Lovelaceville  . 

Guill  Hill,  south  of 
Wingo 

Boaz 

Gray's,  near  Scale. 

Highland  Landing 
on  Tenn.  river  . . 

Paducah  

Armstrong’s,  S.  E of 
Paducah  

No.  2777 

No.  2779 

No.  2778 

No.  2664 

No.  2665 

No.  2760 

No.  2762 

No.  2781 

No.  2780 

Silica 

59., 500 

67.580 

66.. 320 

75  120 

61.920 

52.580 

60.980 

73.192 

69.220 

Alumina 

24.960 

20.040 

22.930 

15.960 

30.060 

31.070 

18.480 

16.540 

17.540 

Iron  peroxide  

.720 

.640 

1.190 

1.420 

.300 

1.610 

7. 500 

1.840 

1.440 

Lime 

.325 

o 1.743 

.437 

trace 

trace. 

.137 

.780 

.36U 

.437 

Magnesia 

.396 

.1.58 

.209 

.317 

.064 

.245 

1.128 

461 

-858 

PotaBh  . . ..... 

1.934 

1.340 

1.107 

1.351 

1.602 

1.775 

2.664 

1 . 969 

2,452 

Soda 

.286 

.075 

.470 

.245 

.239 

.318 

.627 

.Ml 

.472 

Water,  etc 

11  879 

8.524 

7.337 

6 587 

5.815 

12.365 

7.841 

5.088 

7.. 581 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100  000 

100  000 

Sand 

.... 

66.60 

60  580 

(a)  Mostly  as  gypsum. 

In  all  of  the  above  analyses  the  potash  percentages  are 
very  high,  that  of  the  vivianite  clays  of  Highland  Landing 
and  Paducah  being  exceptionally  so.  The  soda  percentages 
of  the  last  two  are  also  very  high,  the  combined  alkali  per- 
centage of  the  Highland  clay  being  thus  raised  to  over  three 
and  three-tenths.  The  clay  containing  the  next  highest 
alkali  percentage  is  that  of  the  Armstrong  place,  east  of 
Paducah,  which,  although  extremely  sandy  in  character,  has 
nearly  three  per  cent,  of  potash  and  soda.  In  general,  all 
of  these  unrefractory  clays  contain  a larger  amount  of  alkali 
than  do  those  of  the  refractory  class,  while  in  the  iron  per- 
centages the  differences  are  not  so  great.  In  the  latter  the 
Highland  beds  again  stand  out  prominently  with  their  seven 
and  a half  percentage. 


OCHREOUS  CLAYS. 

At  a number  of  points  in  the  Purchase  counties  there  are 
beds  of  clay  so  highly  colored  with  yellow  ochre  as  to  make 
them  useful  as  coloring  pigments,  and  they  have  been  used 
for  this  purpose  to  some  extent  locally.  On  burning  they 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  pukciiase  iieoion. 


117 


become  oxidized  into  a bright  red  color.  They  would  also 
make  the  beautifully  red  pressed  brick  so  much  in  demand 
for  house  fronts. 

In  addition  to  these,  there  are  certain  bluish  clays  which, 
on  burning,  make  a very  pretty  red  brick.  One  of  these 
beds  outcrops  in  the  banks  of  the  Tennessee  river  at  High- 
land Landing,  Marshall  county.  Its  analysis  and  descrip- 
tion are  given  on  a previous  page.  An  analysis  has  been 
made  of  but  one  specimen,  and  that  from  near  Wickliffe, 
Ballard  county. 

In  Ballard  county  there  are  three  prominent  localities  of 
occurrence,  near  Wickliffe  and  Laketon,  respectively.  At  the 
former  place  the  clay  is  exposed  in  a deep  ravine  that  cuts 
into  the  hill  north  of  town,  on  the  Harkless  place.  The 
bed  is  apparently  several  feet  in  thickness,  beneath  fifty  or 
more  feet  of  loam  and  gravel.  It  is  rather  difficult  of  access. 
The  clay  is  a bright  yellow,  quite  free  from  sand,  and  has 
been  used  in  Wickliffe  as  a paint  for  wagons.  It  fuses  be- 
fore the  blow-pipe  into  a black  slag.  Tested  at  the  Rook- 
wood  pottery,  it  made  a bright  red  biscuit,  which,  on  glazing, 
became  black.  Its  shrinkage  is  about  seventeen  per  cent. 
Its  analysis  is  given  below. 

No.  2572.  Yellow  Ochre,  from  the  Harkless  place,  imme- 
diately north  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county.  On  calcining  it 
becomes  a handsome  Venetian  red  color,  and  fuses  before 
the  blow-pipe  into  a blackish  mass. 

COMPOSITION  OF  THE  OCHREOUS  CLAYS  OF  BALLARD  COUNTY. 


Silica  . . . . 
Alumina  . . . 
Iron  peroxide 
Lime  . . . . 
Magnesia  . . 
Water,  etc. . . 


44.840 

22.831 

20.350 

.101 

.138 

11.740 


Total 


100.000 


Another  exposure  of  this  bed  is  seen  in  the  deep  ravine 
that  cuts  northward  into  the  hills  from  Fort  Jefferson,  south 
of  Wickliffe.  Near  Laketon,  in  this  county,  there  are  two 


118 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATL'’RES 


exposures,  one  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Hogancamp,  two  miles 
north  of  Laketon,  and  which  also  occurs  at  the  foot  of  a 
deep  ravine,  opening  westward  into  the  Mississippi  bottom, 
and  with  a thickness  of  two  feet  or  more.  It  has  a bright 
yellow  color,  and  is  quite  free  from  sand.  On  Sandy  creek, 
two  miles  south  of  Laketon,  the  ochre  is  again  exposed  in 
a bed  several  feet  in  thickness  (said  to  be  ten),  near  the 
residence  of  Mr.  T.  J.  Wilson,  and  extending  down  the 
creek  some  distance  toward  the  Mississippi  bottom,  near 
which  it  is  found  embedded  in  rounded  and  large  lumps 
in  the  heavy  beds  of  white  sands.  It  is  somewhat  interlam- 
inated  with  whitish  clay,  and  is  quite  plastic.  It  contains 
about  twenty-six  and  a half  per  cent,  of  fine  white  sand, 
composed  of  rounded  grains  of  transparent  quartz ; there  is 
present  also  a little  mica  in  very  fine  particles.  The  ochre 
may  be  easily  separated  from  the  sand  by  washing  and 
allowing  the  latter  to  settle  while  the  ochre  remains  sus- 
pended and  is  poured  off  with  the  water.  The  clay  calcines 
to  a bright  red  color,  and  fuses  before  the  blow-pipe  to  a 
black  slag. 

In  McCracken  county  there  is  a bed  of  ochre,  about  six 
inches  thick,  comprising  the  upper  portion  of  the  clay  bed 
on  Mr.  Armstrong’s  place,  one-half  mile  east  of  the  Boring 
Ford  on  Clark’s  river,  or  seven  miles  from  Paducah.  It  is 
somewhat  sandy  in  character,  but  burns  to  a dark-red  brick, 
and  with  a shrinkage  of  about  fifteen  per  cent.  It  contains 
much  sand,  but  this  can  be  easily  separated  from  the  ochre 
by  washing. 

At  Wadesboro,  in  Calloway  county,  another  but  thin  bed 
of  yellow  ochre  occurs  in  the  gully  immediately  east  of  the 
store-houses  that  line  the  street.  The  clay  is  jointed  in 
structure,  and  forms  the  upper  surface  of  the  black  joint- 
clay,  or  so-called  soapstone,  that  is  characteristic  of  this 
eastern  lignitic  belt.  It  has  a bright  yellow  color,  its  iron 
being  derived,  doubtless,  from  the  superincumbent  ferrugi- 
nous gravel  and  sand ; the  bed  is  from  six  to  ten  indies 
thick.  The  clay  calcines  to  a handsome  red  color,  and  be- 
fore the  blow-pipe  fuses  to  a black  color.  Its  shrinkage  on 
burning  is  about  fifteen  per  cent. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puhchase  region. 


119 


LIGNITE  OR  RROIVN  COAL. 

Beds  of  this  Tertiary  coal  are  found  outcropping  at  two 
points  witliin  the  Purchase  counties.  From  its  slightly  bitu- 
minous character,  it  has  been  mistaken  by  those  living  near 
it  (and  uninformed  on  the  subject)  for  the  outcroppings  of 
true  carboniferous  stone-coal,  supposing  that  weathering  has 
produced  the  rotten  or  shaly  character,  and  that  on  open- 
ing up  the  beds,  and  penetrating  far  into  them,  the  true  coal 
will  be  found.  This  false  idea  has  given  rise  to  visions  of 
wealth  and  to  an  increase  in  price  of  the  land,  not  only  in 
this  but  in  other  southern  States.  The  coal  cannot  be  said 
to  have  any  commercial  value,  except  at  Laredo,  Texas 
(where  a good  quality  is  mined  and  sold  at  six  dollars  per 
ton),  for  although  it  burns,  it  gives  an  insufficient  heat  for 
the  more  ordinary  purposes ; and  the  impurities  contained 
in  the  mass,  together  with  the  clayey  character  and  imper- 
fect carbonization,  give  rise  to  a very  large  percentage  of 
ash.  At  Laredo,  the  lignite  resembles  cannel  coal,  a change 
from  the  true  lignite,  produced,  perhaps,  during  the  partial 
metamorphism  of  the  rocks  of  the  region  during  the  vol- 
canic activity  of  the  neighboring  mountains  of  Mexico, 
which  resulted  in  the  eruptive  dykes  extending  thence  to 
the  region  of  Austin,  Texas. 

The  lignites  of  the  northern  part  of  Texas,  as  well  as  of 
the  other  States,  are  coarse-grained,  generally  show  more  or 
less  the  structure  of  the  original  wood,  and  yield  from  four 
to  twenty-four  per  cent,  of  ash. 

In  Kentucky  the  lignites  differ  from  those  of  other  States 
in  being  finer,  more  compact  and  homogeneous  in  character, 
and  with  comparatively  little  woody  structure.  The  mass 
resembles  rather  a dense  peat  or  accumulation  of  fine  vegeta- 
tion, which,  through  age,  has  become  blackened  and  changed 
to  a lignite.  The  mass  is  not  laminated  in  structure  (except 
on  the  outer  edges),  is  very  fine  grained,  and  easily  sawed 
or  chopped  with  a hatchet  into  solid  blocks.  This  fine  grain 
character  especially  fits  it  for  purposes  for  which  that  of 
other  States  is  unsuited,  viz : in  the  machinery  used  in  a new 
process  for  refining  sugar.  The  attention  of  the  manufac- 
turers in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  was  drawn  to  this  lignite,  and 


120 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


at  their  request  samples  were  sent  for  trial.  They  report 
that  the  tests  were  eminently  satisfactory,  and  that  they 
proposed  to  use  large  amounts  should  the  cost  of  transiior- 
tation  warrant  it. 

The  most  extensive  and  important  occurrence  of  the  lig- 
nite is  at  Wickliffe,  on  the  line  of  railroad  in  the  county 
of  Ballard.  It  is  well  exposed  in  the  railroad  cut,  just  south 
of  the  depot,  appearing  last  year  as  a long  black  band  in 
the  freshly  exposed  perpendicular  surface  of  the  eastern 
side,  and  before  covered  by  earth  slides.  The  bluff  is  formed 
of  about  fifty  feet  of  Quaternary  loam,  gravel  and  clays, 
overlying  about  forty  feet  of  Tertiary  dark  sandy  clays  in 
which  the  lignite  appears  at  about  five  feet  below  its  surface. 

The  lignite  is  about  four  feet  thick,  and  its  cross-section 
shows  the  following  differences  in  character: 


Shaly  or  rotten  clayey  brown  lignite 

Blackish  lignite,  with  hard  fragments 

Light,  compact,  fine  grain  and  brownish  lignite 
Black  lignite 


18  inches. 
12  inches. 
12  inches. 
12  inches. 


The  upper  part  contains  in  one  place  thin  crystals  of 
clear  Selenite.  Iron  pyrites  is  also  found  occasionally,  but 
the  beds  appear  to  be  very  generally  free  from  this  mineral. 

Another  and  thinner  seam  of  lignite  is  said  to  exist  sev- 
eral feet  below  this,  but  was  not  visible,  except  perhaps 
under  the  railroad  track,  near  what  is  known  as  the 
“Camel’s  Back,”  a short  section  of  the  track  which,  be- 
cause of  the  sliding  out  of  the  bluffs,  has  been  thrown  into 
a hump-shaped  condition,  and  remains  so  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  workmen  to  correct  it.  Near  this  section,  and 
exposed  in  a culvert  beneath  the  track,  is  a bed  of  lignite 
which  once  caught  fire,  and  is  said  to  have  burned  steadily 
for  six  or  more  months.  This  may,  however,  be  but  a fallen 
portion  of  the  main  bed. 

The  lignite  is  also  found  in  the  beds  of  the  creeks  and 
ravines  immediately  east  of  Wickliffe,  and  in  the  bank  of 
Cane  creek,  two  miles  north.  The  bed  at  the  latter  local- 
ity is,  however,  thin.  Still  eastward  from  Wickliffe  it  is 


OF  TiiK  Jackson's  pukchask  kpxjion. 


121 


found  occasionally  in  the  bind’s  that  face  the  bottoms  of 
Mayfield  creek  as  far  east  as  Blandville,  and  probably  be- 
yond. 

The  Blandville  lignite,  in  the  bed  of  the  branch  in  the 
south-west  part  of  town,  is  very  similar  in  character  to  that 
at  Wicklid’e,  except  that  it  is  more  highly  pyritons,  that 
mineral  appearing  in  bright  silvery  sheets,  and  partly  in 
lumps,  permeating  the  npi)er  part  of  the  bed. 

The  only  other  exposure  of  lignite  found  within  the  Pur- 
chase counties  occurs  on  Panther  creek,  in  Graves  county, 
on  the  land  of  Mr.  Obadiah  Whitt.  It  outcrops  at  the 
water’s  edge,  reaching  three  feet  above,  and  said  to  be  sev- 
eral feet  below  the  water.  It  very  much  resembles  that  of 
Ballard  county,  its  upper  portion  being  black,  and  having 
imi)ressions  of  vegetable  leaves  and  sticks,  the  central  part 
being  lighter  brown  and  more  compact.  In  the  analysis 
given  below,  the  sample  was  evidently  taken  from  the  upper 
part. 

The  coal  is  again  found  a short  distance  further  down  the 
creek.  It  is,  however,  entirely  covered  by  the  creek  alluvium. 

The  composition  of  the  above  lignites  is  shown  in  the  fol- 
lowing analyses  made  for  the  Survey  by  Dr.  Robert  Peter. 
The  samples  were  dried  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  except 
that  of  No.  2144,  which  was  dried  at  212°  F. 

No.  3.  Lignite,  from  the  bluffs  of  Fort  Jefferson,  imme- 
diately south  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county.  A dull  brown- 
ish-black friable  substance,  full  of  irregular  cracks  or  fissures 
which  appear  to  have  been  produced  by  shrinkage  or  drying ; 
quite  absorbent  of  moisture,  adhering  slightly  to  the  tongue ; 
fresh  fracture  j)roducing  a dull,  pitch-like  luster  in  some  of 
the  layers,  approaching  in  some  parts  the  luster  of  coal. 
Over  the  spirit  lamp,  on  platinum  foil,  it  burnt  at  first  with 
a smoky  fiame,  somewhat  like  coal,  but  with  the  odor  of 
peat ; it  continues  to  burn  like  punk  or  rotten  wood  when 
removed  from  the  liame,  until  it  is  reduced  to  a bulky  ash. 

No.  214.  Lignite  from  the  same  bluff. 

No.  215.  Brown  Coal  or  Lignite,  from  one  and  one-half 
miles  north-west  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county. 


122 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


Xo.  2144.  Brown  Coal  or  Lignite,  from  Mr,  Wm.  Arnett’s 
land  on  Panther  creek,  six  miles  east  of  Mayfield,  Graves 
county.  The  bed  shows  about  three  feet  above  the  creek ; 
is  said  to  be  several  feet  below  that  level. 


ANALYSES  OF  LIGNITE  OR  BROWN  COAL. 


Ballard  County. 

Graves  Co. 

WickliflTe. 

Blandville. 

Panther  Cr. 

No.  3. 

No.  214. 

No.  215. 

No.  2144. 

Moisture 

13.20 

30.00 

11.50 

4,13 

Volatile  combustible  matter.  . 

37.40 

23.00 

48.00 

16.22 

Fixed  carbon  in  coke  .... 

38  10 

40.00 

31.00 

10.25 

Ashes 

11.30 

7.00 

9.50 

69  40 

Total 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Total  volatile  matter  .... 

50.00 

53.00 

59.50 

20.35 

Coke 

49.40 

47.00 

40.50 

79.65 

Total 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Specific  gravity 

1 219 

1.201 

1.173 

The  ashes  of  No.  3 was  buff -colored,  and  was  found  to 
contain  a trace  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  notable  quantities 
of  oxide  of  iron,  alumina  and  lime.  When  dried  at  212°  F. 
its  composition  was — 


Volatile  combustible  matter 

Fixed  carbon 

Ashes 


43.088 

43,894 

13.018 


No.  2144  was  dried  at  212°  F.  The  ash  was  found  to  con- 
tain a considerable  proportion  of  alumina,  some  little  lime 
and  magnesia,  as  well  as  a trace  of  phosphoric  acid.  As 
this  material  contains  a little  more  than  thirty-six  per  cent, 
of  combustible  matters,  it  could  scarcely  be  made  available 
as  a fuel.  Possibly  it  may  find  use  as  a cheap  pigment. 


IRON  ORES. 

The  iron  ores  found  in  the  region  are  entirely  Quaternary 
in  origin,  and  occur  associated  with  the  gravel  deposits  in, 
however,  but  few  localities.  These  localities  are  also  nearly 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  fdkciiase  ukoion. 


123 


in  a line  nortli-west  and  south-east,  and  in  almost  every 
instance  adjoining  the  outcrops  of  hard  Onandaga  quartzite. 
The  ore  is  a linionite,  occurring  in  irregular  plates,  from 
one-half  to  two  inches  in  thickness,  and  in  all  variety  of 
forms.  It  sometimes  incloses  clay,  and  often  has  cemented 
to  its  surface  the  Quaternary  gravel.  The  beds  may  be 
classed  in  two  divisions,  or  as  belonging  to  the  up^ier  and 
lower  gravels,  respectively,  and  varying  in  their  outward 
ai^pearance.  In  addition  to  these,  there  are  ores  of  a more 
recent  origin,  and  also  some  magnetite,  all  of  which  will 
be  mentioned  under  their  resjiective  heads. 

Iron  of  the  Ore  Region  Gravel. — The  beds  thus  named  by 
Prof.  Saft’ord,  in  his  Tennessee  Report,  are  found,  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  State,  only  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  Calloway 
county,  near  the  Tennessee  river,  and  south  of  Blood  river, 
in  what  is  locally  known  as  “The  Coalings,”  overlying  di- 
rectly the  limestones  and  cherts  of  the  Subcarboniferous. 
These  are  the  most  important  beds  within  the  Purchase 
counties,  viewed  economically,  and  in  years  past  they  have 
been  extensively  worked.  The  ore  is  embedded  within  the 
gravel  deposit  in  pieces,  large  and  small,  partly  specular  on 
some  of  its  surfaces,  and  with  interstices  holding  some  gravel 
and  clay.  To  secure  the  ore,  great  excavations  have  been 
made  in  the  thick  gravel  beds ; but  in  spite  of  this  expense 
it  is  said  to  have  been  gotten  out  in  “j^aying  quantities.” 
There  are  two  of  these  beds  within  a few  miles  of  each 
other.  At  one,  near  Shannon  creek,  a furnace  was  in  opera- 
tion for  a number  of  years,  the  entire  surrounding  country 
(“Coalings”)  being  denuded  of  its  timber  to  supply  char- 
coal for  the  reduction  of  the  ore.  Either  the  exhaustion  of 
the  fuel,  or  the  expense  of  obtaining  the  ore  from  the  gravel 
beds,  caused  a suspension  of  the  works.  Prom  the  other 
bed,  or  Marbery’s  bank,  the  ore  was  shipi^ed  to  the  furnaces 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Tennessee  river.  At  this  locality 
the  ore  is  concretionary  in  part,  and  in  plates  cemented  to 
dark  flinty  fragments,  the  whole  forming  locally  a solid 
ledge  a foot  in  thickness,  the  ore  being  from  one  to  eight 
inches  thick,  and  under  about  fifteen  feet  of  cherty  and 
clayey  debris.  Fine  and  clear  crystals  of  dark  qiaartz,  both 
terminals  perfect,  occur  in  the  cherty  beds  in  abundance. 


324 


gp:olo(;ical  and  economic  features 


Iron  of  the  Later  Gravel. — These  beds  have  already  been 
alluded  to  as  occurring  in  a belt  lying  north-west  and  south- 
east, though  the  ore  has  been  observed  in  but  a few  localities. 
The  gravel  with  which  it  is  associated  is  of  the  stratified  drift 
* or  upper  Quaternary  bed,  though  from  its  position  at  the 
base  of  those  beds,  and  the  strong  resemblance  to  the  ore 
just  described,  it  may  have  been  formed  jjrior  to  the  strati- 
fied drift  period.  Its  close  association  also  with  the  mas- 
sive quartzose  sandstone  at  each  of  its  exposures  would 
indicate  this. 

There  are  two  of  these  iron  beds  in  McCracken  county, 
west  and  south-west  of  Paducah.  On  the  place  of  W.  J. 
Flournoy,  four  miles  west  of  town,  the  ore  forms  a ledge 
from  four  to  six  inches  thick  beneath  the  gravel,  arid  about 
fifty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  adjoining  upland.  Im- 
mense boulders  of  Onandaga  quartzite  sandstone  lie  to  the 
west  of  and  adjoining  it,  and  perhaps  j^ass  under  it,  though 
in  a well  a hundred  yards  to  the  east  neither  the  iron  or  the 
sandstone  was  found.  The  ore  is  not  in  any  great  quantity. 
South-east  from  this  point,  or  five  miles  south-west  of  Pa- 
ducah, at  Mrs.  Alexander’s  place,  rounded  lumps  of  the 
same  limonite  ore  occur  at  the  foot  of  the  elevation  on 
which  the  house  stands.  Some  of  the  ore  is  in  curved 
layers.  As  at  Mr.  Flournoy’s,  there  does  not  seem  to  be 
any  great  quantity  of  it.  The  following  analysis  gives  its 
composition,  dried  at  212°  F. : 

No.  144.  LIMONITE,  FROM  MRS.  ALEXANDER'S,  FIVE  MILES  FROM 
PADUCAH,  ON  BLANDVILLE  ROAD,  McCRACKEN  COUNTA'. 


Oxide  of  iron 

Alumina 

Oxide  of  manganese  . . . 

Potash 

Soda 

Magnesia 

Phosphoric  acid 

Cpmbined  water  .... 
Silica  and  insoluble  silicates 

Total 


83  80- 
.60 
.50 
.13 
trace, 
trace. 

.07 
8.30 
6 60 

100.00 

58.68 


Iron  in  the  above 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PUUCIIASE  REGION. 


125 


This  analysis  gives  probably  a fair  average  of  all  the  iron 
ores  within  the  Purchase  counties,  both  in  the  lower  and 
upper  gravel  beds. 

Another  occurrence  of  the  ore  is  at  Mr.  McClure’s,  two 
miles  south  of  Hard  Money,  in  GJ-raves  county,  and  in  a line 
south-east  from  those  localities  already  mentioned.  Frag- 
ments of  the  quartzite  sandstone  were  picked  up  in  the 
neighborhood,  though  no  large  boulders  were  found.  The 
ore  occurs  in  curved  plates,  forming  boulder-like  masses, 
and  with  sharp  angles,  and  sometimes  holding  ochreous 
clay.  It,  as  well  as  the  ore  of  the  other  localities,  has  the 
appearance  of  having  been  formed  by  evaporation  and  crys- 
tallization from  a solution  of  the  iron  oxide  that  had  per- 
meated through  the  open  seams  and  cracks  in  the  clayey 
gravel  beds  to  the  more  imiiervious  clay  beds.  The  mass  of 
the  ore  is  crystalline  in  character,  the  outer  face  roughened 
by  contact  with  the  fine  gravel  and  sand,  the  inner  surface 
smooth  and  bright  or  specular,  the  cross-section  through  the 
ore  being  capable  of  receiving  a bright  polish. 

At  Mr.  McClure’s  there  is  quite  an  amount  of  the  ore 
fragments  in  spots,  but  no  regular  bed  has  been  found,  and 
it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  it  occurs  in  paying  quantities. 

Iron  ore,  very  similar  in  character  to  the  above,  also  occurs 
on  the  place  of  Mr.  Cox,  a few  miles  west  of  Birmingham, 
Marshall  count}'.  The  masses  are  found  at  the  base’  of  the 
Quaternary  gravel,  and  immediately  overlying  the  Subcar- 
boniferous  beds. 

Clay  Iron-stone. — Specimens  of  beautifully  banded  clay 
iron-stone  occur  in  a deep  gully  in  the  field  of  Mr.  Jones, 
three  miles  south  of  Paducah. 

Magnetite. — This  has  been  found  at  only  one  point  within 
this  region,  and  then  not  in  any  quantity,  a few  pieces  only 
having  been  picked  up  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  on  the  bank 
of  the  Ohio,  near  the  Grand  Chain.  At  this  point  the  cherty 
layers  and  limestones  of  the  Subcarboniferous  rise  above  the 
river  surface,  and  appear  in  the  bluff  below  the  Quaternary 
gravel.  The  ore  is-  very  compact,  and  highly  magnetic. 
There  is  nothing  to  indicate  the  near  x>resence  of  any  body 
of  it,  and  these  pieces  have  doubth?ss  been  brought  here 


120  GEOI-OGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

from  other  localities,  possibly  from  the  magnetite  region  of 
Connellsville,  West  Virginia. 

Iron  Pyrites— is  a very  commonly  occurring  mineral 
in  the  black  clays  of  the  Tertiary  lignitic  belt,  which  ex- 
tends from  the  southern  part  of  Calloway  county  north- 
westward toward  Paducah  and  to  Caledonia,  and  also  along 
the  blulfs  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The  mineral  appears 
either  in  thin  sheets  or  in  small  lumps,  the  surface  some- 
times blackened  by  oxidation  and  by  the  admixture  of 
black  clay,  but  usually  bright  and  shining  with  a silvery, 
or  sometimes  with  a golden  luster,  which,  from  its  decep- 
tive character,  has  won  for  it  the  name  of  “Fool’s  Grold,” 
The  finder  of  this  mineral  has  often  had  visions  of  gold 
mines  fioating  before  his  imagination,  and  frequently  spends 
much  money  in  making  excavations  in  the  ground,  or  in 
having  specimens  analyzed  by  some  so-called  chemist,  who 
generally  announces  the  presence  of  gold,  silver,  bismuth, 
or  some  other  metal.  The  test  which  would  prove  the  char- 
acter of  pyrites  (a  compound  of  iron  and  sulphur)  is  very 
simple,  and  can  be  made  by  any  person.  The  usual  trial 
by  persons  in  the  country  is  to  mix  with  it  some  fluxing 
material,  such  as  blue  vitriol  or  sugar  of  lead,  and  then 
melt  it  down  in  an  iron  spoon  or  ladle  in  a blacksmith’s 
forge.  The  flux,  and  frequently  the  pyrites  itself,  forms 
metallic  looking  lumps,  which  deceives  the  workman.  The 
following  is  the  true  test  which  should  be  applied:  Powder 
the  mineral  finely,  and  place  three  or  four  thimbles  full  of 
it  on  a clean  shovel,  and  heat  the  latter  to  redness  in  an 
open  fire,  without  bellows  or  fan.  The  mineral  will  turn 
black,  and  then  burn  with  a blue  sulphur  flame,  the  odor 
of  whose  fumes  will  be  recognized.  When  the  flame  has 
expired,  stir  the  powder  with  a stick,  and  heat  to  redness 
on  the  shovel.  On  cooling,  the  powder  will  be  at  first 

black,  and  then  turn  red,  being  then  simply  a red  ochre, 
containing  no  metal  but  iron.  Iron  pyrites,  when  powdered 
and  moistened,  and  left  exposed  to  the  air  for  a time, 

gradually  changes  into  copperas.  The  only  use  to  which 
the  mineral  can  be  put  is  in  the  manufacture  of  sulphur 

and  sulphuric  acid,  and  even  for  that  purpose  it  would 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PUUCIIASK  REGION.  127 

not  be  profitably  mined,  except  where  it  can  be  obtained 
in  almost  inexhaustible  quantities. 

VIVIANITE. 

In  the  black  Port  Hudson  clays  in  the  ravine  that  empties 
into  the  river  just  west  of  Paducah,  and  in  the  same  black 
clays  that  are  exposed  in  the  Tennessee  river  bank  at  High- 
land Landing,  in  north-east  Calloway  county,  there  are  small 
specks,  in  part  a bright  blue  and  in  part  a white  color, 
that,  upon  analysis,  proved  to  be  the  mineral  vioianite,  a 
phosphate  of  iron.  These  soft  clayey  particles  are  most 
abundant  at  the  latter  locality,  but  in  neither  are  they  in 
sufficient  amount  to  be  used  as  a pigment,  or  to  so  enrich 
the  inclosing  clay  as  to  make  it  valuable  as  a'  fertilizer.* 

GALENA. 

Pieces  of  this  ore  of  lead  have  been  picked  up  in  various 
localities  throughout  the  Purchase  counties,  and  have  led  to 
the  supposition  that  they  are  but  the  outcrops  of  veins  of 
the  mineral,  the  continuation  of  those  occurring  at  Rosiclair 
and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  river  above  Smith- 
land.  So  far  as  my  observation  extends,  there  are  here  no 
indications  of  the  presence  of  such  lead  deposits,  even  within 
the  belt  of  Subcarboniferous  rocks  lying  along  the  west  side 
of  the  Tennessee  river.  The  strike  of  some  of  the  faults 
that  hold  the  lead  and  zinc  ores  at  Rosiclair,  it  is  true,  is  in 
‘ a S.  S.  W.  course,  but  it  is  more  than  probable  that  they 
are  ore-bearing  for  only  a short  distance  ; and  had  they  ever 
reached  as  far  as  this  basin  region,  they,  together  with  the 
accompanying  limestones  and  sandstones,  have  been  partially 
removed  by  denudation,  and  their  surface  subsequently  cov- 
ered by  several  hundred  feet  of  clays,  sands,  and  gravel. 
It  is,  at  least,  very  certain  that  no  lead,  silver,  or  zinc 
veins  occur  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  belt  of 
Subcarboniferous  rocks,  and  that  the  tales  regarding  silver 
mines  on  Clark’s  river  are  all  myths,  so  far  as  any  natural 
deposit  is  concerned. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  fragments  that  have  been  found. 


*The  same  mineral  was  found  in  the  dark  clay  underlying  Washington,  D.  C. 


128 


OKOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


also  in  the  clay  under  the  bluffs  along  the  Elkhorn  creek 
and  tiibutaries,  in  Pike  county,  Ky,,  and  there  is  scarcely  a 
doubt  that  they  have  been  brought  or  dropped  in  the  various 
localities  by  human  agencies,  probably  by  the  Indians,  who 
obtained  the  ore  in  other  States,  and  probably  deposited 
masses  of  it  in  the  banks  of  the  streams  or  other  points, 
where  they  could  have  easy  access  to  it.  That  they  did  use 
the  ore  for  some  imrpose  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  quite  a 
large  mass  of  it  was  found  in  an  Indian  mound  on  the  bluffs 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  north  of  Laketon,  in  Ballard  county, 
and  other  pieces  in  mounds  ehewhere. 

The  report  of  a silver  mine  having  once  been  found  on 
Clark’s  river  has  its  origin,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained, 
with  a gang  of  counterfeiters,  who,  for  a long  time,  carried 
on  their  operations  somewhere  on  the  borders  of  that  stream, 
and  who  naturally  were  anxious  to  establish  the  belief  that 
they  were  doing  legitimate  Avork  in  the  development  of  the 
mine.  Near  the  point  at  which  it  is  supposed  that  they 
worked,  there  is  an  abrupt  bluff  * forming  the  river  bank, 
and  in  the  exposed  black  Tertiary  clay  there  occurs  quite 
a quantity  of  large  nodules  of  iron  pyrites,  which  have  been 
erroneously  thought  by  some  persons  to  “lead  to  silver 
ore;”  the  clay  also  is  in  places  highly  micaceous,  giving  to 
the  mass  a sparkling  appearance. 

GYPSUM. 

This  mineral,  important  for  agricultural  purposes,  occurs 
but  sparingly  within  the  Purchase  counties,  and  then  only  in 
association  with  the  white  plastic  clays  of  the  Quaternary 
and  Lagrange  groups,  and  occasionally  with  the  lignite  beds. 
It  is  found  in  small  masses  or  pockets,  of  not  more  than 
one  half  inch  diameter,  and  in  the  form  of  radiated  crys- 
tals, and  sometimes  in  thin  sheets  of  Selenite.  It  has  been 
observed  in  the  clay  bed  on  the  place  of  Mr.  Hough,  four 
miles  south-west  of  Paducah,  in  the  clay  outcropping  in 
the  branch  south  of  Benton,  and  in  the  lignite  of  the 
Fort  Jefferson  bluff,  near  Wickliffe.  At  no  j3oint  does  it 
occur  in  sufficient  quantity  for  commercial  or  agricultural 
purposes. 

GREENSAND. 

No  beds  of  this  valuable  potash  fertilizing  material  have 
been  found  within  this  part  of  the  State.  They  were,  how- 


OK  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PUUCHASK  KKGION. 


120 


ever,  observed  :it  the  foot  of  the  Ohio  bluffs,  at  Caledonia, 
on  the  Illinois  shore,  being  well  exposed  for  four  feet  at  low 
water,  and  easily  accessible  at  the  water’s  edge.  The  thick- 
ness is  mdvnown.  The  mass  is  very  friable,  dark  green  in 
color,  and  composed  of  a little  black  clay  and  hyaline  sand, 
with  a large  proi)ortion  of  the  green  grains  of  glauconite,  a 
lK)tash  mineral.  The  bed  lies  at  the  base  of  the  lignitic 
Tertiary  black  sandy  and  joint  clays,  which  here  have  a 
thickness  of  forty-five  feet.  The  following  analysis,  made 
by  Dr.  Robert  Peter  for  the  Survey,  shows  its  composition: 


GLAUCONITIC  CLAY,  TAKEN  PROM  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  OHIO 
BLUFF,  AT  CALEDONIA,  ILLINOIS. 


Silica  or  sand, 
Alumina  . . . 
Iron  peroxide 
Lime  . . . . 
Magnesia  . . 
Potash  . . . . 

Soda 

AVater,  etc.  . 

Total  . . 


59 

940 

13 

370 

10 

210 

,549 

2 

010 

3 

243 

.078 

10 

600 

100 

000 

Sand. — Deep  beds  of  sand,  varying  from  jiure  white  to 
red  and  yellow,  occur  in  several  of  the  geological  formations 
represented  in  the  Purchase  counties.  These  formations  are 
the  Cretaceous,  the  Lagrange  division  of  the  Tertiary,  and 
the  stratified  drift  of  the  Quaternary.  The  massive  Onan- 
daga  quartzite  rocks  that  outcrop  at  certain  points  south  and 
south-west  of  Paducah,  and  in  east  Calloway  county,  would, 
if  crushed,  make  a very  clear  and  pellucid  sand,  suitable  for 
glass  manufacture.  The  grains  are  sharp,  and  quite  free  from 
iron  stains. 

The  sand-beds  of  the  Cretaceous,  occurring  east  of  Mur- 
ray, in  Calloway  county,  and  near  Benton,  in  Marshall 
county,  are  very  deep,  and  highly  charged  with  fine  parti- 
cles of  mica,  which  give  to  it  a sparkling  appearance.  The 
grains  are  sharp  and  the  sand  can  be  used  as  a coarse  pol- 
ishing material. 

In  Calloway  county  the  beds  are  well  exposed  at  the 

GEOL.  SUR. — 9. 


130 


G?:OLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


cross-roads,  north-east  of  New  Concord,  and  southward  in 
the  hills  facing  the  valley  of  Beechy  creek.  The  sands  are 
variegated  in  color,  but  mostly  white,  and  are  slightly  cal- 
careous. The  analyses  by  Dr.  Peter  given  below  show  them 
to  be  quite  free  from  impurities.  o , 

The  sand-bed,  occurring  on  the  north  side  of  Clark  s river 
and  two  miles  from  Benton,  Marshall  county,  is  well  known 
as  the  “Sand  Hill.”  It  underlies  a black  clay,  and  is 
stratified,  its  layers  having  a south-easterly  dip.  The  upper 
part  of  the  bed  has  a yellowish  color  from  the  iron,  in 
solution,  brought  by  percolation  from  the  overlying  beds, 
but,  in  the  main,  is  white  and  micaceous,  and  holds  thin 
layers  of  a plastic  clay.  Its  exposure  is  from  six  to  ten 
feet,  being  hidden  below  by  debris  from  the  bluff  above. 
A few  concretionary  forms  of  sand,  cemented  with  iron, 
occur  occasionally  in  the  sand.  The  analysis  of  this  sand 
is  also  given  below. 

No.  2636.  Fine  Micaceous  Sand,  slightly  calcareous;  Cre- 
taceous formation.  Taken  from  a heavy  bed,  two  miles 
north-east  of  New  Concord,  Calloway  county. 

No.  2637.  Sand,  apparently  similar  to  the  preceding,  but 
slightly  colored  light-brownish  with  iron  oxide.  Taken  from 
the  same  locality  as  the  above. 

No  2758.  White  Sand,  Cretaceous  formation,  taken  from 
the  Sand  Hill  on  the  north  side  of  Clark’s  river,  two  miles- 
north  of  Benton,  Marshall  county.  A fine  hyaline  quartz 
sand,  with  a yellowish  tint.  Contains  small  mica  specks. 


ANALYSES  OP  SANDS. 

4 


Calloway  County. 

Marshall  Co. 

Near  New 

Concord. 

Near  Benton. 

No.  2636. 

No.  2637. 

No.  2758. 

Organic  and  volatile  matters 

1.816 

0.690 

0.395 

Alumina,  iron  oxide,  etc 

.605 

.505 

.323 

Lime  carbonate 

.090 

.095 

trace. 

Magnesia  

.232 

trace. 

.017 

Phosphoric  acid 

.044 

trace. 

.093 

not  est. 

.289 

.189 

Water  expelled  at  380°  F 

.000 

.000 

.054 

Sand  and  insoluble  silicates 

97.395 

98.145 

98.989 

Totals 

100.181 

99.724 

100.057 

Hygroscopic  moisture 

0.075 

0.025 

0.050 

Potash  in  the  insoluble  residue 

0.074 

not  est. 

.001 

OF  THK  JACKSON’S  PUKCIIASE  RE(iION. 


m 


The  Tertiary  sands,  belonging  to  the  Lagrange  group  of 
interstratilied  sands  and  pipe-clays,  are  usually  quite  white, 
and,  in  large  part,  of  the  clear  hyaline  variety.  The  beds 
between  the  clay  strata  vary  in  thickness,  and  could,  with 
some  difficulty,  be  kept  free  from  clay  admixtures.  The 
beds  are  most  largely  exposed  at  points  along  the  bluffs 
facing  the  Mississippi  river  bottom,  from  the  mouth  of  May- 
field  creek  southward  to  Columbus.  A prominent  exposure 
is  at  the  water-tank,  one  mile  south  of  Laketon,  the  bed 
here  rising  about  fifty  feet  above  the  raih’oad  track.  The 
sand  is,  however,  intermixed  with  two  per  cent,  or  more 
of  fine  clayey  i^articles,  which  injure  it  for  the  manufacture 
of  fine  glass  ware.  The  grains  are  rounded,  and  largely  of 
hyaline  quartz,  mixed  with  some  very  fine  sand. 

Ip  the  bluffs  north  of  the  town  of  Columbus  there  is  a 
very  thick  bed  of  fine  white  sand,  colored,  in  part,  from  iron 
percolations  from  the  gravel  above,  and  composed  of  over 
ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  pure  hyaline  quartz  grains. 

All  of  the  above  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  sands  would  be 
useful  in  the  manufacture  of  any  but  the  finer  kinds  of 
glass  ware,  in  mixing  with  the  stiff  plastic  clays  for  the 
manufacture  of  pottery,  etc,  and  in  mixing  with  mortar 
and  cement. 

The  sand  of  the  stratified  drift  is  very  generally  colored 
yellow  and  red  from  iron  oxide,  which  injures  it  for  any  but 
ordinary  uses.  The  beds  are  found  interstratified  with  the 
gravel,  and  also  alone  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  Pur- 
chase counties. 

POLISHING  POWDER. 

There  are  several  localities  within  the  Purchase  region  in 
Avhich  occur  beds  of  a fine  siliceous  earth,  or  sharp,  silty 
sand,  which  could  be  utilized  as  a polishing  powder  for 
silver  or  other  metals.  The  most  prominent  of  these  places 
is  at  Pryorsburg,  Graves  county.  The  beds  are  here  ex- 
posed in  a bluff'  a short  distance  east  of  town,  on  the 
east  of  the  first  branch.  There  are  two  grades  of  the 
powder  in  this  bluff,  one  made  up  of  extremely  fine  and 
sharp  grains,  one  thousandth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  whose 
grittiness  between  the  finger  is  just  perceptible,  while  the 


132 


GEOLO(;iCAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


other  grade  is  a little  coarser,  the  diameter  of  the  grains 
being  about  twice  as  large  as  the  former,  A little  clay 
accompanies  the  powder.  The  thickness  of  the  entire  bed 
is  unknown,  as  there  is  a large  amount  of  debris  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluff. 

The  bluff  shows  about  fifteen  feet  of  loam  and  gravel,  and 
ten  feet  of  purplish  plastic  clays,  above  these  beds  of  fine 
sand,  which  are  exposed  ten  or  fifteen  feet  thick,  and  slope 
to  the  north-east.  The  beds  are  much  indurated,  but  the 
l>owder  readily  yields  to  attrition.  Put  uj)  in  packages,  it 
should  find  a ready  sale  as  polishing  powder. 

Another  bed  of  fine  silty  or  arenaceous  clay,  also  suitable 
as  a polishing  material,  occurs  in  the  railroad  cut  three 
miles  north  of  Boaz  Station,  Graves  county.  It  is  very 
similar  to  the  beds  of  decomposed  Subcarboniferous  chert 
of  the  eastern  part  of  Marshall  and  Calloway  counties,  a 
few  pieces  of  the  rounded  chert  being  embedded  in  it.  It 
is  light  brownish-grey  in  color,  indurated,  or  of  the  hard- 
ness of  chalk,  and  contains  about  two  and  a half  per  cent, 
of  very  fine  white  sand.  Prom  the  analysis  which  is  given 
below,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  contains  a very  large  amount 
of  potash,  as  indeed  do  most  of  the  clays  of  the  region.  It 
is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe,  and  fuses  with  great 
difficulty.  Many  of  the  clays  of  the  Purchase  counties  are 
more  or  less  arenaceous,  and  might  serve  the  purpose  of  a 
polishing  or  finishing  material. 

The  beds  of  decomposed  chert  of  the  Subcarboniferous 
belt,  along  the  west  side  of  the  Tennessee  river,  are  made 
up  of  a white,  non-plastic,  siliceous  earth,  indurated,  but 
friable  and  easily  crumbling,  and  which  is  infusible  before 
the  blow-pipe. 

In  Marshall  county  this  earth  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of 
the  branch  on  the  place  of  Mrs.  Lou.  Stone,  four  miles 
west  of  Birmingham,  and  at  several  points  nearer  town ; 
fragments  of  undecomposed  and  angular  chert  are  inclosed 
in  the  beds. 

In  Calloway  county  the  white  earth  is  more  prominently 
and  extensively  developed  in  the  hills  bordering  Blood  river 
on  the  east,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Brandon’s  Mill.  The 


OF  rilF  .lACKSON's  PUJtCHASE  REGION. 


133 


beds  are  here  exposed  for  ten  or  more  feet  in  thickness 
above  the  bottom  of  the  ravines  or  brandies,  and  are  made 
up  of  alternating  layers  of  chert  and  siliceous  earth.  The 
same  beds  are  also  found  eastward  in  the  hills  facing  the 
Tennessee  river,  in  the  region  of  Buffalo  Landing. 

All  of  these  siliceous  earths  are  very  similar  in  their  com 
position,  being  chiefly  silica,  with  some  alumina  and  potash, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  analyses  given  below. 

No.  2G62.  Arenaceous  Clay,  from  the  railroad  cut  three 
miles  north  of  Boaz,  Graves  county. 

No.  2764.  Siliceous  Earth,  or  decomposed  white  chert, 
from  Mrs.  Lou.  Stone’s  place,  four  miles  west  of  Birming- 
ham, Marshall  county. 

No.  2638.  Siliceous  Earth,  from  Brandon’s  Mill,  on  Blood 
river,  Calloway  county. 

No.  2761.  Ash-colored  Earth,  from  a cistern  on  the  old 
Winter’s  place,  eight  miles  south-east  of  Olive  Post-office, 
Marshall  county. 


COMPOSITION  OF  SILICEOUS  EARTHS. 


GR.A.VES 

County. 

Marshall 

County. 

Calloway 

County. 

Marshall 

County. 

Air  Dried. 

3 m.  N.  of 
Boaz. 

4 m.  W.  of 
Birmingham. 

Brandon’s 

Mill. 

Winter’s 

Place. 

No.  2662. 

No.  2764. 

No.  2638. 

No.  2761. 

Silica 

76.780 

93.700 

87.300 

91.580 

Alumina 

14.740 

3.580 

10.480 

5.980 

Iron  peroxide 

1.640 

trace. 

.220 

Lime 

trace. 

trace. 

.045 

.045 

Magnesia 

.389 

.127 

.281 

.055 

Potash 

1.440 

.618 

.888 

.094 

Soda 

.117 

.117 

.209 

.032 

Water 

4.894 

1.858 

.797 

1.994 

Total 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

100.000 

Sand 

2.400 

The  earths  from  Marshall  and  Calloway  counties,  being 
very  fine  and  highly  siliceous,  with  very  little  of  such 
fluxing  materials  as  iron  oxide,  lime,  soda  and  magnesia 


134  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

(though  the  potash  percentage  is  high),  could  be  well  used 
to  mix  with  plastic  clays  to  reduce  their  shrinkage,  and 
also  as  scouring  and  polishing  bricks.  They  might  also  be 
used  in  glass-making. 


WATER  SUPPLY. 

The  large  streams  of  the  country  have  a continuous  flow 
throughout  the  year,  except  near  their  sources;  but  the 
water  is  mostly  sluggish  and  muddy,  holding  in  suspension 
the  clay  derived  from  the  bordering  hill-sides.  The  smaller 
streams  or  creeks  become  dry  during  the  summer  months, 
the  water  standing  in  pools  along  their  beds.  There  is, 
however,  always  a sufficient  supply  for  stock  running  at 
large. 

For  domestic  purposes  the  people  are  dependent  chiefly 
on  wells  and  cisterns,  though  small  springs  are  found  fre 
quently  issuing  from  the  hill-sides  and  banks  of  streams. 

The  wells  vary  in  depth  and  in  character  of  water,  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  country  and  the  geological  forma- 
tion. The  water  stratum  is  almost  always  the  sand  or  gravel 
overlying  immediately  a thick  bed  of  impervious  clays. 

In  the  hills  bordering  the  Tennessee  valley,  and  within 
the  Subcarboniferous  belt,  water  is  hard  to  obtain  in  wells, 
except  by  penetrating  the  cherty  or  flinty  layers  which  un- 
derlie the  Quaternary  gravel,  sand,  and  clay.  The  thick- 
ness of  these  layers  is  not  known.  In  a well  three  miles 
west  of  Birmingham,  Marshall  county,  no  water  was  obtained 
after  penetrating  thirty  feet  of  loam,  gravel  and  pipe-clay, 
and  then  twelve  feet  of  the  chert.  Near  Aurora,  in  the 
south-eastern  part  of  the  same  county,  more  than  one 
hundred  feet  of  cherty  material  were  penetrated  without 
finding  water;  while  west  of  this,  on  one  of  the  branches 
tributary  to  Jonathan  creek,  water  was  obtained  after  pass- 
ing through  forty  feet  of  the  chert.  Southward,  in  Calloway 
county,  the  limestone  beds  approach  nearer  the^  surface,  the 
chert  is  thinner,  and  water  is  sometimes  obtained  at  fiom 
twenty  to  thirty  feet. 

The  Cretaceous  formation,  forming  a belt  west  of  the 
above,  is  represented  by  beds  of  sands,  and  black,  thinlj 


OK  THE  Jackson’s  pukchase  region. 


135 


laminated  clays.  The  wells  are,  therefore,  usually  very 
deep — one  hundred  or  more  feet — though  sometimes  water 
is  obtained  above  the  black  clays  which  ovei'lie  the  sands. 

In  Calloway  county,  east  of  New  Concord,  a well  on  the 
place  of  Mr.  Christian  was  dug  sixty-hve  feet  in  the  white 
micaceous  sand,  and  delightfully  cool  and  clear  water  was 
reached.  Curbing  was  required,  and  to  prevent  the  sand 
from  coming  in  at  the  bottom,  grass,  rocks,  and  gravel  were 
thrown  in.  A few  miles  south-west,  on  Mr.  Alexander’s 
place,  water  was  obtained  below  fifty-four  feet  of  the  sand. 
At  Hico,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  and  east  of 
Briensburg,  Marshall  county,  wells  are  dug  one  hundred  feet. 
In  the  latter  county,  the  black  clay  often  forms  a sufficiently 
thick  and  impervious  stratum  to  support  a water  vein ; and 
near  Fair  Dealing,  Palma,  and  Calvert  City,  wells  are  sunk 
frequently  to  a dej)th  of  only  fifty  or  seventy-five  feet. 

At  Paducah,  the  well  of  the  ice  factory,  after  penetrating 
through  loam  and  gravel -for  about  forty  feet,  reached  water 
in  sand  at  one  hundi’ed  and  ten  feet  from  the  surface.  The 
water  is  strongly  chalybeate,  as  shown  in  the  following 
analysis,  made  by  Dr.  Barnum,  of  Louisville. 

Chalybeate  Water,  from  the  well  of  the  ice  factory  in 
Paducah,  McCracken  county.  It  has  been  largely  used  as  a 
tonic  by  the  citizens,  and  the  cup  in  use  has  been  thickly 
incrusted  with  the  iron. 


Silicates 

Carbonate  of  iron  . . . . 
Oxide  of  iron  and  alumina 
Sulphate  of  magnesia  . . 
Chloride  of  sodium  . . . 
Chloride  of  aluminum  . . 
Bromine  and  iodine  . . . 


1.707  grains. 
3.500  grains. 
2.310  grains. 
0.663  grains. 

2.540  grains. 


“The  whole  combined  so  as  to  possess  strong  tonic  and 
alterative  properties,  without  the  disagreeable  styptic  taste 
common  to  most  chalybeate  waters.” 


136 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  well  of  the  vinegar  works,  in  Paducah,  passed  through 
the  following  strata : 


Loam  and  gravel 

r Black  and  blue  clay 
„ . Colored  sand  . . . 

Cretaceous.^  Blue  clay  .... 

Sand 


40 

feet 

8 

feet. 

6 

feet. 

8 

feet. 

00 

feet. 

112 

feet. 

The  wells  along  the  lignitic  Tertiary  belt,  lying  west  of 
the  Cretaceous,  are  usually  not  more  than  thirty  or  forty 
feet  deep,  water  being  found  at  the  base  of  the  gravel.  The 
impervious  clay,  which  immediately  underlies  the  gravel,  is 
black  and  more  or  less  pyritous  and  fetid,  giving  a disagree- 
able taste  and  unhealthy  properties  to  the  water.  The  clay 
bed  is  very  thick,  one  hundred  or  more  feet,  and  very  few 
wells,  if  any,  have  passed  through  it.  In  a well  on  the  hills 
south  of  Paducah,  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  of  clay  was 
penetrated  and  no  water  found.  Cisterns  are,  therefore, 
largely  in  use  in  this  region,  which  extends  from  the  Ten- 
nessee State  line  northward  via  Murray,  between  Clark’s 
river  and  Mayfield  creek  towards  Paducah,  and  thence  west- 
ward toward  Caledonia. 

In  the  region  underlaid  by  Lagrange  sands  and  clays,  in 
the  south  and  west  parts  of  Graves  county,  at  Mayfield, 
Lynnville,  Cuba  and  Stubblefield,  and  also  in  Hickman 
and  south  Ballard  counties,  it  is  difficult  to  find  a good 
vein  of  water  on  the  uplands  at  a less  depth  than  from 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  even  more.  Cisterns 
are,  therefore,  largely  used.  In  Fulton  county  wells  are  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  deep. 

In  the  Tennessee  valley,  at  Birmingham,  Marshall  county, 
water  is  obtained  at  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  while  on  the 
north,  near  Calvert  City,  it  is  found  at  from  twenty-five 
to  thirty  feet. 

In  the  Ohio  valley  or  flats,  wells  are,  at  Paducah,  near 
the  river,  more  than  one  hundred  feet  deep,  as  shown  above ; 
but  in  the  southern  and  south-western  parts  of  the  town, 
and  westward  to  the  Mississippi  river,  they  are  from  fifty  to 
sixty  feet. 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  pukoiiase  region. 


137 


In  the  ^lississippi  river  bottom,  south-west  of  Hickman, 
near  the  Sassafras  ridge,  water  is  found  at  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  in  a blackish  sand  beneath  sands  and  blue  clays. 

'Phere  are  a number  of  springs  in  the  Purchase  counties 
whose  waters  are  more  or  less  chalybeate  in  character.  A 
few  belong  to  the  class  of  sulphur  springs,  the  water  being 
charged  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas.  The  latter  are 
usually  contined  to  the  belt  of  bluish-black  clays  of  the 
eastern  and  northern  counties,  and  the  sulphur  is  due  to 
the  iron  pyrites  occurring  in  those  clays. 

The  chalybeate  springs  are  most  numerous,  and  largely 
derive  their  iron  also  from  the  pyritous  clays,  and  from  the 
highly  ochreous  gravel  and  clay  beds.  There  are  none,  how- 
ever, that  have  gained  particular  notoriety,  and  the  waters  of 
but  few  have  been  analyzed.  The  following  analyses,  except- 
ing that  of  the  Paducah  well,  have  been  obtained  from  the 
reports  of  Dr.  Robert  Peter,  Chemist  of  the  Survey : 

No.  1438.  Clinlyheate  Water,  from  Nick  Combs’  spring, 
lOur  miles  south-west  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  This  con- 
tains free  carbonic  acid,  and  0.302  per  cent,  of  saline  matters 
in  1000  parts  of  water.  These  consist  of  iron,  manganese, 
lime  and  magnesia  carbonates,  with  some  lime  and  magnesia 
sulphates.  It  is  probably  a valuable  chalybeate  water. 

No.  2107(A.)  Water  from  Bluff  Spring,  Ballard  county, 
on  the  road  from  Columbus  to  Cairo,  in  the  “milk  sick” 
region,  and  supposed  by  some  to  cause  this  sickness.  This 
water  has  deposited  a considerable  brownish  sediment,  which 
did  not  all  dissolve  in  hydrochloric  acid.  Analysis  showed 
the  presence  of  some  free  carbonic  acid,  much  of  bi-car- 
bonates of  lime  and  magnesia,  some  little  bi-carbonate  of 
iron  and  of  chlorine  and  sulphuric  acid.  The  water  had  a 
slightly  alkaline  reaction,  and  the  spectroscope  showed  the 
presence  of  a trace  of  lithium.  There  is  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  water  has  any  thing  to  do  with  the  causation 
of  milk  sickness. 

No.  2107(5.)  Water  from  the  Mahon  Spring,  Ballard 
county.  Said  to  be  unhealthy,  and  by  some  thought  to 
cause  “milk  sickness.”  On  examination,  it  gave  similar 


138 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


reactions  with  the  water  from  the  Bluff  Spring,  but  did  not 
seem  to  contain  as  much  iron ; and  there  was  no  brown 
sediment  in  the  bottle.  A weighed  portion  of  the  water, 
evaporated  to  dryness,  left  only  0.36  per  cent,  of  whitish 
saline  residue  in  1000  of  the  water.  The  soluble  part  of 
this  had  an  alkaline  reaction,  and  the  spectroscope  showed 
the  presence  in  it  of  soda  and  lithia.  It  seems  to  be  a 
perfectly  wholesome  water,  although,  like  the  above,  some- 
what “hard,”  from  the  presence  of  lime  and  magnesia  bi- 
carbonates. 

No.  2554.  Mineral  Water  from  the  old  Kilgore  spring, 
two  miles  south  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county.  It  is  in  the 
bank  of  a creek  and  ten  feet  below  the  surface  of  Mayfield 
bottom,  and  flows  perhaps  two  barrels  per  minute.  It  is  a 
slightly  chalybeate  and  alkaline  saline  water.  It  is  clear 
when  fresh,  and  has  a temperature  of  58°  F.  Contains  only 
0.064  grammes  of  solid  contents  in  a thousand.  There  were 
carbonates,  chlorides  and  sulphates  of  iron,  soda,  lime  and 
magnesia,  with  a trace  of  lithia,  and  some  silica.  It  is  a 
good  weak  chalybeate  water.  . 

Mineral  Water  from  the  McGee  Spring,  Hurricane  creek, 
south-east  of  Blandville,  Ballard  county.  The  water  is  clear, 
but  deposits  a sediment  in  cups  and  pitchers  in  use.  The 
temperature  is  60°  F.  The  spring  is  also  in  the  bank  of 
the  creek,  but  is  protected  from  overflow.  Its  flow  is  not 
great. 

Evaporated  to  dryness,  the  water  left  1.644  grains  of  solid 
matter  in  a thousand.  This  residue  was  composed  of  the 
following : 


Carbonate  of  iron.  . . 
Carbonate  of  lime  . . 
Carbonate  of  magnesia 
Chloride  ol'  magnesium 
Chloride  of  sodium  . . 
Carbonate  of  soda  . . 
Sulphate  of  potash  . . 
Silica 


0.  376  grains. 
.166  grains. 
.029  grains. 
.152  grains. 
.082  grains. 
.487  grains. 
.112  grains. 
.240  grains. 


Total  in  1000 


1 . 644  grains. 


This  is  a good  alkaline,  saline,  chalybeate  water,  contain- 
ing only  a trace  of  organic  matters,  and  not  too  much  saline 
materials. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  furchase  region. 


139 


AGRICU LTU  R A L FEAT U R ES. 

That  portion  of  the  State  lying  west  of  the  Tennessee  river, 
and  known  as  the  Purchase  Region,  differs  from  tliat  on 
the  east,  not  only  in  its  geological  and  topographical,  but 
also  in  its  agricultural  features.  The  general  surface  of  the 
uplands  is  lower,  varying  from  four  hundred  to  six  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  and  while  there  are  no  high 
hills  or  mountains,  it  is  rendered  very  uneven  by  the  numer- 
ous large  streams  and  their  many  tributaries,  each  having 
in  turn  their  deep  ravines  bordered  by  gullies  and  washes, 
the  soil  being  very  light  and  easily  transported  by  the 
drainage  waters.  After  each  heavy  rainfall  the  streams  are 
heavily  charged  with  the  brownish  yellow  loam  from  the 
hill-sides  and  open  fields.  Between  the  streams  there  are 
often  large  areas  of  uplands  presenting  a very  level  sur- 
face ; their  southern  and  western  edges  bordering  the  larger 
streams,  generally  descend  abruptly  and  almost  perpendic- 
ularly ; those  on  the  opposite  side  sloping  gradually  to  the 
level  of  the  bottom  lands.  This  feature  is  prominently  seen 
along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  river,  along  the  bluffs  on 
the  northern  or  Illinois  side  of  the  Ohio,  and  those  on  the 
northern  and  eastern  side  of  Mayfield  creek,  from  its  mouth 
almost  to  the  town  of  Mayfield.  Again,  these  bordering 
bluffs  are  usually  higher  than  the  general  surface  of  the 
interior  of  the  country,  the  drainage  waters  flowing  almost 
from  their  very  edge  towards  the  interior  and  away  from 
the  streams  into  their  smaller  tributaries. 

The  lands  of  the  region  also  differ  from  those  of  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  State,  in  being  almost  entirely  free  from  those 
rocks  and  rock  fragments  that  characterize  the  country  east 
of  the  Tennessee  river.  There  is,  again,  an  absence  of  those 
limestones  that  give  to  the  Blue-grass  region  their  extreme 
fertility,  and  of  those  sharp  and  angular  cherty  fragments 
that  are  associated  with  so  much  of  the  land  among  the  hills 
and  mountains  of  the  State.  Instead  of  the  latter,  there  are 
beds  of  rounded  gravel  which  lie  below  the  surface  of  the 
soil  at  such  a depth  as  not  to  interfere  with  its  tilling  quali- 
ties. 

Another  difference  between  the  lands  of  the  uplands  of 


140 


GEOLO(iICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


the  two  sections  lies,  not  only  in  the  greater  depth  of  those 
of  the  Purchase  region,  but  in  their  having  been  formed  of 
material  transported  from  distant  regions  through  the  agen- 
cy of  water,  those  of  the  rest  of  the  State  being  formed 
generally  in  situ  from  the  disintegration  of  the  local  rock 
formations. 

The  lands  of  the  Purchase  region  have  a depth  of  from 
ten  to  twenty  or  even  thirty  feet,  before  the  beds  of  gravel  or 
impermeable  clays  are  reached;  they  are  made  up  of  the 
two  beds  of  light  brownish  loam  which  cover  almost  the  en- 
tire uplands  of  the  region,  and  extend  southward  through 
Tennessee  into  Mississippi.  The  country,  too,  is  entirely 
covered  with  a timber  growth,  except  where  removed  for 
purposes  of  soil  tillage.  A large  portion  was,  however,  once 
an  open  prairie,  with  no  vegetation  other  than  grass  and 
weeds,  but  which  has  now  grown  up  in  a low  growth  of 
red  and  black  jack  oaks,  and  is  known  as  “the  barrens.” 

The  lands  are  divided  naturally  into  the  following  classes, 
and  under  which  heads  they  will  be  further  described; 


Among  the  wild  forage  plants  that  are  quite  common  to 
the  entire  country,  is  a clover  known  as  Japan  clover. 
{Lesjpedeza  striata).  It  suddenly  appeared  a few  years  ago, 
almost  simultaneously,  in  various  sections  of  the  country, 
and  is  regarded  with  high  favor,  especially  as  grazing  for 
sheep.  It  is  found  along  road-sides,  and  grows  well  on  old 
fields,  crowding  out  the  sedge  grass  and  weeds.  It  gives 
no  trouble  in  fields  under  cultivation. 

The  cultivation  of  cotton  was,  during  the  war,  carried  on 
only  on  a small  scale  in  localities  as  far  north  as  Paducah; 
but  the  short  seasons  cut  the  crops  short  with  a yield  of 
only  300  to  500  pounds  of  seed-cotton  per  acre,  one-half  of 
the  bolls  not  coming  to  maturity. 

The  planting  season  began  about  the  first  of  May,  blooms 


Lowlands  . . 


Uplands 


f Cane  hills  or  bluff  lands. 
J Flatwoods. 

I Red  oak  Barrens. 

Oak  and  hickory  lands. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  puin'hase  uegion. 


141 


appeared  in  July,  and  picking  began  about  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober. 

KIVEU  nOTTOM  OR  ALLUVIAL  LANDS. 

The  alluvial  or  first  bottom  lands  of  the  three  great  rivers 
that  border  the  Purchase  region  on  its  three  sides  cover  an 
aggregate  area  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-live  square 
miles,  being  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  Mississippi  river. 
The  greatest  width  of  the  alluvial  region  is  at  the  Tennessee 
State  line,  where,  from  the  town  of  Hickman  westward  to 
New  Madrid,  on  the  Missouri  shore,  the  distance  is  about 
twenty  miles ; the  bottom  is,  however,  divided  by  a south- 
ward or  horseshoe  bend  of  the  Mississippi  river,  which  en- 
tirely isolates  a large  part  of  the  lands  from  the  rest  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky. 

Northward  to  Wickliffe,  a portion  of  the  bottom  is  in 
places  several  miles  wide,  but  at  several  points  is  entirely 
absent,  the  current  of  the  river  sweeping  the  foot  of  the 
projecting  highlands.  In  the  region  of  the  junction  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  the  bottom  lands  are  more  than 
five  miles  in  width  on  the  Kentucky  shore ; but  as  we  follow 
the  Ohio  up  its  course  we  find  the  lands  becoming  more  and 
more  narrow  until,  at  the  Grand  Chain,  where  the  river  bends 
nearly  at  right- angles  from  its  hortli-west  to  its  south-west 
course,  the  width  is  not  more  than  a mile,  and  beyond  this 
point  eastward  to  Paducah  it  is  almost  nothing.  Along  the 
Tennessee  river  there  is  scarcely  any  alluvial  land,  and  the 
sapie  is  true  of  other  large  streams  of  the  region,  the  bot- 
tom lands  of  the  latter  being  more  clayey  and  of  a stiff 
crawfish  character. 

The  Mississippi  bottom  is  a broad  and  very  level  tract  of 
land,  interspersed  with  sloughs  and  lakes,  and  entirely  sub- 
ject to  the  yearly  overflows  of  the  river.  The  houses,  in 
which  the  planters  dwell,  are  usually  raised  above  high-water 
mark  by  means  of  posts  on  which  they  rest  as  foundations. 
Along  the  immediate  bank  of  the  river  the  lands  are  usually 
higher  than  in  the  interior,  being  really  a belt  of  sand  de- 
posited by  the  river  current  during  high  water.  Its  inter- 
mixture with  the  finer  river  sediments  gives  to  this  sand  a 
degree  of  fertility  suitable  for  the  maintenance  of  good  crops 


142 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


of  corn,  and  it  is  upon  this  belt  that  the  river  farms  are 
mostly  found.  Cottonwood  is  its  most  prominent  timber 
growth. 

The  interior  of  the  bottom  region  is  low  and  swampy,  its 
soils  made  up  of  the  rich  alluvium  yearly  brought  down  by 
the  river  current  and  deposited  during  overflows  from  the 
more  sluggish  waters.  The  surface  of  this  interior  region  is 
but  slightly  elevated  above  the  ordinary  river  water  level, 
and  but  a small  proportion  of  it  is  considered  suitable  for 
tillage,  because  of  its  swampy  character.  The  little  drainage 
it  has  is  largely  into  the  prongs  of  Reelfoot  Lake,  which 
reach  northward  from  the  Tennessee  portion  of  the  bottom, 
the  lake  itself  being  tributary  to  the  Obion  river  many  miles 
south. 

The  soils  are  deep  and  rich  loams,  black  from  the  large 
amount  of  decayed  vegetation.  There  is  an  entire  absence, 
so  far  as  examined,  of  those  buckshot  clays  that  form  so 
prominent  a feature  of  the  Mississippi  bottom  lands  in 
Mississippi  and  Louisiana,  though  beneath  the  alluvium  are 
found  the  blue  clays  of  the  Port  Hudson  geological  forma- 
tion, and  to  which  the  buckshot  clays  are  believed  to  belong. 
These  interior  or  back-lands  are  valuable  chiefly  for  their 
magnificent  timber  growth  of  black  walnut  and  red  gum  ; 
there  is  also  a large  growth  of  hickorj^  ash,  sweet  gum, 
pecan,  water  and  overcup  oaks  and  catalpa.  Much  lumber 
is  annually  taken  from  these  river  bottoms. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  high  bluffs  that  border 
the  bottoms  on  the  east  there  are  frequent  areas  of  this 
alluvial  loam  that  are  sufficiently  elevated  for  successful 
cultivation,  as  for  instance  on  the  south  of  the  town  of 
Hickman,  where  they  are  under  tillage  and  produce  fine 
crops  of  corn.  The  soil  has  a depth  of  several  feef,  and  is 
loose  and  warm  in  character.  Analyses  showing  its  chemical 
composition  are  given  below,  of  samples  taken  from  two 
localities. 

The  lands  northward  from  Hickman,  in  the  counties  of 
Hickman  and  Ballard,  have  the  same  character  as  those  on 
the  south,  except  that  there  is  an  absence  of  the  sand  front- 
land,  because  of  the  3'eaily  cutting  away  of  the  eastern  bank 


OK  THE  Jackson’s  purchase  kkoion. 


113 


of  the  river.  A portion  of  it  just  south  of  the  “chalk 
banks,”  two  miles  south  of  Columbus,  is  under  cultivation. 

The  alluvial  lauds  of  the  Ohio  river  bottom  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  their  general  features,  hav- 
ing, like  the  latter,  a front-land  of  white  sandy  ridges,  and 
an  interior  or  back-land  of  richer  and  dark  alluvial  lands, 
lower  in  elevation,  and  interspersed  with  lakes  and  sloughs. 

While  the.  lands  of  these  two  river  bottoms  are  similar  in 
their  physical  features,  they  differ  in  chemical  composition, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  analyses  given  below. 

In  North  Ballard  and  McCracken  counties  the  bottoms  are 
very  narrow,  the  valley  or  flats  approaching,  in  some  places, 
very  near  to  the  river.  At  Paducah  there  are  no  bottom 
lands  nearer  than  about  a mile  below  the  town,  the  flats 
forming  a bluff  some  fifty  feet  above  low-water  mark,  and 
affording  a splendid  boat  landing.  On  the  Illinois  shore, 
opposite  Paducah,  the  bottoms  are  very  broad,  narrowing 
toward  Metropolis,  a few  miles  below. 

Along  the  Tennessee  river  there  are  no  first  bottoms 
worthy  of  mention,  the  river  having  cut  its  way  north- 
Avard  through  the  Paleozoic  limestones  and  sandstones  to 
within  a few  miles  of  its  junction  with  the  Ohio,  and  form- 
ing a deep  channel  from  which  the  waters  scarcely  ever 
escape  to  overflow  the  valley  that  borders  the  stream.  The 
alluvial  lands,  therefore,  are  found  only  in  very  irregular 
and  limited  areas  along  the  banks. 

In  the  low  flats  that  lie  along  near  the  foot  of  the  upland 
bluffs,  we  sometimes  find  larger  areas  of  overflowed  or  allu- 
vial lands,  differing  greatly  from  those  of  the  valley,  and 
quite  rich  in  character.  In  the  south-eastern  part  of  Callo- 
way county,  near  the  Tennessee  State  line,  such  tracts  occur 
and  are  generally  under  cultivation.  The  soil  has  a timber 
growth  of  hickory,  white,  water  and  red  oaks,  poplar, 
gum,  linn,  box  elder,  some  ash  and  sycamore;  black  locust 
springs  up  on  lands  that  have  once  been  in  cultivation. 
On  the  second  bottoms,  which  have  an  elevation  a little 
above  that  of  the  first,  the  growth  is  white  and  red  oaks, 
poplar,  black  locust  and  hickory.  These  first  bottom  lands 
produce  an  average  of  ten  barrels  of  corn  per  acre.  Their 


144  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUllES 

chemical  composition  is  given  below.  Near  Birmingham  there 
is  an  additional  growth  of  pin  oak  and  a few  walnuts. 

No.  2123.  Virgin  Soil  from  the  Mississippi  bottom,  three 
miles  south-west  from  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  Principal 
growth,  white  oak,  hickory,  gum  and  beech.  The  dried  soil 
is  in  pretty  firm  clods,  of  a light  yellowish-umber  color.  All 
of  its  siliceous  residue,  remaining  after  digestion  in  acids, 
l^assed  through  the  fine*  sieve,  except  a small  proportion  of 
small  particles  of  partly  decomposed  concretions,  and  only 
one  or  two  small  quartz  grains. 

No.  2124.  Soil  from  the  surface  of  a field  twelve  years 
in  corn  without  manure.  Mississippi  bottom  land,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  Yield  this  season 
(1878)  over  fifty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre.  Dried  soil  in 
friable  clods,  of  an  umber  color. 

No.  2557.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  Ohio  river  bottom,  taken 
eight  inches  deep,  from  Clear  Lake  ridge,  four  miles  west  of 
Barlow,  Ballard  county.  When  dry,  it  is  of  a dark  greyish- 
brown  color.  The  clods  are  small  and  friable,  and  the  soil 
contains  a small  quantity  of  fine  white  quartz  sand. 

No.  2622.  Virgin  Soil  of  first  bottom  of  the  Tennessee 
river  on  W.  E.  Brown’s  place,  south  of  Shannon  creek,  Cal- 
loway county ; is  of  a greyish-brown  color,  and  contains 
only  a small  quantity  of  fine  sand. 


*The  fine  sieve  lias  about  4,000  meshes  to  the  inch  square. 


OK  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCIIASP:  KKGION. 


145 


llIVER  FIRST  150TT0M  LANDJ^. 


Composition,  Dried  at  212°  F. 

Mississippi  River. 

Ohio  River. 

Tenn.  R. 

Fulton  County. 

Rallard  Co. 

Callo’y  Co. 

3 miles  S. 
W.  of  Hick- 
man. 

2 miles  S. 
of  Hick- 
man. 

4 miles  W. 
of  Barlow. 

Brown’s 
place,  Buf. 
Landing. 

Soil. 

Cult’d  soil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

No.  2123. 

No.  2124. 

No.  2557. 

No.  2622. 

Organic  and  volatile  matter  . . 

9.305 

4.725 

5.772 

6.080 

Alumina  and  manganese' oxide  ■> 

.10.437 

) 5.127 

6.876 

8.171 

Iron  peroxide i 

} 

4.124 

4.791 

Lime  carbonate 

1.385 

1.045 

.210 

.280 

Magnesia 

.461 

.234 

.273 

.461 

Phosphoric  acid 

.198 

.198 

.226 

218 

Potash 

.142 

.321 

.723 

.461 

Soda 

.419 

.145 

AVatcr  expelled  at  380° 

3 110 

1.150 

1 . 263 

2.1.35 

Sand  and  insoluble  silicates.  . . 

74.840 

87.145 

80.999 

77.719 

Total 

99.878 

100  364 

100.611 

100.316 

Hygroscopic  moisture 

4.100 

2.350 

2.290 

2.6.50 

Potash  in  insoluble  silicates.  . . 

1.889 

1.814 

1.069 

1.487 

Soda  in  insoluble  silicates  . . . 

.607 

.858 

.277 

.253 

The  above  analyses  show  marked  differences  in  the  com- 
position of  the  bottom  soils  of  the  three  rivers,  the  virgin 
soil  of  the  Mississippi  being  richest  in  decayed  vegetation, 
alumina,  lime  and  magnesia,  all  of  whose  percentages  are 
large.  Its  phosphoric  acid  is  lower  than  that  of  the  other 
two  rivers,  though  still  in  fair  amounts,  and  its  potash  per- 
centage is  low  for  a soil  so  rich  in  lime  and  decayed  vegeta- 
tion. It  is  especially  surprising  that  so  large  an  amount  (1.889) 
should  remain  in  an  insoluble  condition  in  the  presence  of 
so  large  a per  cent,  of  the  latter  two  ingredients,  whose 
office  is  to  render  it  available  for  the  use  of  plants. 

. A notable  feature  in  the  analysis  of  the  Ohio  bottom  soil 
is  the  very  high  percentage  of  potash ; that  of  the  phos- 
phoric acid  and  vegetable  matter  is  very  fair.  The  soil  is 
not  as  clayey  as  that  of  the  Mississippi  bottom,  and  the 
power  for  retaining  hygroscopic  moisture  is  consequently 
not  as  great. 

GEOL.  SUE. — 10. 


146 


(iEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  soil  of  the  Tennessee  bottom  is  well  supplied  with 
both  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  in  an  available  condition, 
while  in  the  insoluble  portion  there  is  a large  percentage  of 
the  former.  It  is  less  sandy  than  the  Ohio  bottom  soil,  and 
there  are  larger  percentages  of  decayed  vegetation  and  hy- 
groscopic moisture. 

Sand  Ridges. — The  sandy  ridges  in  the  Ohio  bottom  lie 
parallel  with  the  present  course  of  the  river,  and  at  a distance 
of  about  a mile,  and  have  a width  of  about  half  a mile,  bor- 
dered on  either  side  by  small  lakes  and  sloughs.  Their 
lengths  are  respectively  only  from  one  to  two  miles,  and  their 
soil  is  chiefly  a reddish  sand  with  some  decayed  vegetation. 
Some  of  them  have  a breadth  giving  sufficient  area  for  culti- 
vation, yielding,  it  is  claimed,  fifteen  bushels  of  wheat  or 
forty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre.  The  soil  is  not  durable. 

The  sand  ridge  of  the  Mississippi  bottom  below  Hickman, 
lying  north-east  and  south-west,  known  as  the  Sassafras 
Ridge,  is  overflowed  at  extreme  high-water  of  the  river.  It 
has  a growth  of  gum,  cottonwood,  oak,  ash  and  sassafras. 
The  latter  was  formerly  the  chief  growth,  but  has  been  cut 
out  for  rails.  The  surface  of  the  ridge  is  uneven,  wide  and 
long,  and  its  soil  is  sandy,  but  mostly  under  cultivation, 
yielding,  it  is  claimed,  twelve  to  fourteen  barrels  of  corn  per 
acre. 

Bottom  Lands  of  Other  Streams. — The  lowlands  that  com- 
prise the  bottoms  of  other  streams  in  the  Purchase  counties 
are  not  alluvial  in  character,  but  are  formed  by  the  washing 
down  of  the  neighboring  brown  loam  hills,  by  small  streams, 
the  currents  of  which,  being  checked  upon  the  bottom  plain, 
permitted  the  deposition  of  the  sediment  in  part.  The  flat 
nature  of  the  bottoms  prevents  any  natural  drainage,  and 
hence  this  sediment  has  become  compacted  and  leached,  pro- 
ducing a whitish,  cold  and  stiff  soil,  highly  crawfishy  in 
character,  and  covered  by  a thin  deposit  of  decayed  vegeta- 
tion. The  bottoms  are  annually  overflowed,  but  very  little 
sediment  is  deposited  from  the  current.  It  is  only  near  the 
bluffs  that  any  deposition  takes  place,  and  that  is  from  the 
adjoining  hills.  A tall  and  heavy  timber  growth  usually 
shades  these  bottom  lauds,  and  yearly  adds  to  the  amount 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  pukciiase  ue(jion. 


147 


of  vegetable  decay.  Comparatively  little  of  these  lands  are 
under  cultivation. 

Of  the  many  streams,  Mayfield  creek  has  the  broadest 
bottom  land,  and  more  of  it  is  under  cultivation  than  on 
any  other,  but  even  then  the  amount  is  very  small.  The 
timber  growth  is  white  oak,  hickory,  sweet  gum,  a little 
poplar,  walnut,  redbud,  papaw  and  catalpa.  The  soil  is 
generally  a bluish  clay,  on  which  clover  and  herds  grass 
flourish.  Other  crops  do  not  grow  well  except  near  the 
foot  of  the  bluff ; corn  is  here  the  chief  crop. 

The  bottom  lands  of  the  two  forks  of  Clark’s  river  are 
next  in  width,  in  some  places  being  as  much  as  two  miles. 
Their  timber  growth  is  finer  than  on  any  other  of  these 
minor  streams,  consisting  of  white  and  Spanish  oaks,  poplar, 
hickory,  sweet  and  black  gums,  some  walnut,  dogwood  and 
sassafras,  with  an  undergrowth  of  papaw. 

The  bottoms  of  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien  are  compara- 
tively narrow,  and  of  no  special  importance  except  for  their 
timber,  which  consists  of  water  and  white  oaks,  hickory, 
cypress,  black  and  sweet  gums,  maple,  sassafras  (two  and 
one-half  feet  in  diameter),  and  some  birch. 

The  following  soils  from  several  of  these  streams  have 
been  analyzed : 

No.  2100.  Virgin  Bottom  Soil,  near  Shelton  and  Moore’s 
mill,  on  Mayfield  creek,  Ballard  county ; said  to  produce 
good  hay,  but  to  be  otherwise  unproductive.  Original 
growth,  black,  white  and  red  oak,  sweet  gum,  elm,  persim- 
mon and  hickory. 

No.  2101.  Top  Bottom  Soil,  from  an  old  field  long  in  cul- 
tivation ; on  Mayfield  creek,  Ballard  county. 

No.  2102.  Bottom  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding;  on  May- 
field  creek. 

No.  2556.  Bottom  Soil;  crawfishy ; on  West  Fork  of  May- 
field  creek,  Ballard  county,  taken  to  the  depth  of  ten  inches, 
near  the  bridge  on  the  road  from  Blandville  to  Milburn. 

No.  2757.  Bottom  Soil,  of  West  Fork  of  Clark’s  river, 
near  Brewer’s  old  mill,  Marshall  county.  Rich  yellow  loam 
soil.  Sample  taken  to  the  depth  of  ten  inches.  Growth 
exclusively  beech. 


148 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  2749.  Virgin  Bottom  Boil;  from  East  Fork  of  Clark’s 
river  near  Benton,  Marshall  county.  Soil  crawfishy.  Sample 
taken  ten  inches  deeii.  Growth  mostly  white  oak. 

No.  2621.  Virgin  Bottom  Boil,  of  Clark’s  river.  Taken 
ten  inches  deep.  Murray,  Calloway  county. 

No.  27)58.  Virgin  Bottom  Boil;  of  Obion  creek,  south  of 
Arlington,  Ballard  county.  Taken  to  the  depth  of  ten 
inches. 

No.  128.  White  Bottom  Boil  of  Bayou  de  Chien,  at  Mos- 
cow, Hickman  county,  Kentucky  (Quaternary  formation). 


BOTTOM  LANDS  OF  OTHER  STREAMS. 


Mayfield  Cheek. 

Clark’s  River. 

Obion. 

Bayou 

deChien 

Ballard  County. 

Marshall  Co. 

1 

Cal.  Co. 

Ballard 

County. 

Hick- 
man Co. 

Composition,  Dried  at 
212°  F. 

Near  Blandville. 

Brew- 

er’sMill 

Benton. 

Mur- 

ray. 

Nr.  Ar- 
liugt’n. 

Mos 

cow. 

Soil. 

Cnl.  soil 

Subsoil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

Soil. 

Ko.  2100 

No.  2101 

No.  2102 

No.  2556 

No.  2757 

No.  2749 

No.  2621 

No.2558 

No.  128. 

Organic  aud  volatile 
matters 

3.210 

2 565 

2.125 

3.306 

3.394 

3.757 

3 475 

4.635 

2.000 

Alumina  and  manganese 
oxide 

6.150 

1 

1 3.864 

1 5.088 

2 945 

3.248 

3.706 

3.612 

4 217 

1 

Iron  peroxide 

Lime 

.165 

>- 

j 

.385 

1 

.245 

1 860 
.196 

•1.764 

.146 

1.360 

.026 

2.116 

.021 

1.915 

1.463 

1-  6.170 
1.150 

Magnesia 

.268 

.163 

.184 

.181 

.180 

. 143 

.180 

.267 

.160 

Phosphoric  acid  .... 

.115 

.061 

.077 

.008 

.084 

.109 

.062 

.133 

.129 

Potash 

.203 

.319 

.276 

.477 

.172 

.083 

310 

.504 

.170 

Soda 

.364 

.362 

.129 

.389 

.'210 

not  est. 

.020 

Water  expelled  at  380°F. 

1.065 

.635 

.675 

.556 

1.028 

.683 

1 100 

.941 

S ind  and  insoluble  sili- 
cates   

88.890 

92.010 

91.. 570 

90.616 

89.757 

90  070 

88.432 

86.856 

90  570 

Total 

100  420 

100.364 

100  369 

100.534 

99.773 

100.047 

99.308 

100.931 

100,369 

Hygroscopic  moieture.  . 

1.865 

1.075 

1.125 

1.100 

1.300 

1.520 

1.450 

1.625 

Potash  in  the  insoluble 
silicates 

1 

1.650 

1 .'358 

1.401 

1.497 

1.604 

1.438 

1.146 

1.435 

Soda  in  the  insoluble 
silicates 

1.150 

.616 

.911 

.834 

.698 

.402 

.535 

1.243 

1 . . . . 

The  Mayfield  creek  lands  are  fairly  supplied  with  pota-'.i 
and  lime,  but  the  phosphoric  acid  is  deficient  in  all  except 
in  No.  2100,  where  the  proportion  is  fair.  The  cultivated 
soil  shows  a falling  off  in  phosphoric  acid,  but  an  increase 
of  potash  at  the  expense  of  that  held  as  insoluble  silicate, 
and  due,  perhaps,  to  the  loosening  and  aeration  as  well  as 
the  drainage  afforded  by  tillage. 


OF  THE  JACKSON  S PURCHASE  REGION. 


149 


VALLEY  LANDS. 

The  valleys  that  border  the  Tennessee,  Ohio  and  Clark’s 
rivers,  are  from  lifteen  to  thirty  feet  higher  than  the  bottoms 
proper,  and  can  hardly  be  classed  as  subject  to  overflow. 
Neither  are  they  properly  a second  hottom  of  those  streams. 

TJie  Tennessee  River  Valley. — The  width  of  this  valley,  be- 
ginning at  the  Tennessee  State  line,  where  the  limestone 
escarpments  almost  reach  the  river,  varies  from  one  to  one 
and  a half  miles  northward  until  Gilbertsville  is  reached, 
whence  to  westward  it  widens  to  three  miles  at  Calvert  City, 
and  again  narrows  to  the  upland  bluffs,  which  rise  from 
the  water’s  edge  at  Lawton’s  Bluff.  Thence  to  the  mouth 
of  Clark’s  river,  where  it  merges  into  the  broad  flats  of 
that  river,  the  valley  is  very  narrow. 

The  eastern  border  of  the  valley  from  the  State  line  to 
and  beyond  Gilbertsville  is  against  high  limestone  bluffs ; 
the  western,  which  is  at  a greater  distance  from  the  river, 
is  also  bounded  by  bluffs,  at  whose  base  limestones  are  ex- 
posed in  several  places,  and  on  whose  sides  chert  debris  is 
generally  found.  The  last  exposure  of  limestone'  is  near 
Gilbertsville,  where  the  river  cut  its  way  through  this  nar- 
row belt  of  rock  and  entered  the  basin  of  the  old  gulf 
embayment  which  is  now  filled  with  sands  and  clays.  The 
line  of  bluffs,  however,  fall  in  elevation  from  one  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  at  the  Tennessee  line  to  about  seventy-five, 
near  Gilbertsville,  and  beyond  to  Lawton’s  Bluflf. 

The  surface  of  the  valley  presents  an  uneven  plain,  the 
central  part  being  higher  than  that  lying  along  the  river 
on  the  east  and  that  adjoining  the  bluffs  'on  the  west,  and 
comprising,  too,  the  greater  portion  of  the  area.  The  lower 
lands  are  subject  to  overflow  from  high-water  from  the  river, 
and  have  usually  a stiff  crawfishy  soil,  dark  from  decayed 
vegetation,  and  are  not  very  much  under  cultivation. 

The  valley  upland  soil  is  a yellowish  loam  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  high  interior  uplands  of  the  Purchase  counties, 
but  differing  from  the  latter  in  being  micaceous.  It  has  a 
depth  of  from  ten  to  twelve  feet,  overlying  directly  the  blue 
micaceous  clays  that  outcrop  along  the  river  bank  at  numer- 
ous places. 


150 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  soil  is  said  to  produce  eight  barrels  of  corn,  one 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco,  or  fifteen  to  twenty  bushels  of 
wheat  per  acre. 

The  lands  are  in  many  places  very  flat  and  inclined  to  be 
cold,  heavy  and  crawfishy,  from  insufficient  natural  drain- 
age. These  flats  usually  have  a growth  of  hickory,  red  and 
post  oaks,  and  sassafras,  showing  a fertile  soil.  Wherever 
there  is  sufficient  drainage  the  land  is  light  and  loamy,  fria- 
ble and  easily  tilled.  North  of  Calvert  City  the  growth  is 
chiefly  white  and  black  oaks,  hickory,  poplar  and  dogwood, 
the  soil  being  a dark  loam,  producing  about  seventy  bushels 
of  corn,  fifteen  bushels  of  wheat,  or  one  thousand  pounds 
of  tobacco  per  acre. 

There  are  a number  of  small  streams  which  either  lie 
entirely  within  this  valley  or  have  their  source  within  the 
bordering  uplands,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  their  lengths 
run  through  the  flats  that  lie  at  the  foot  of  the  highlands, 
then  suddenly  turning  to  the  river.  They  have  usually  but 
little  bottom  land,  though  in  places  they  are  bordered  by 
flat  swamps. 

The  Shannon  creek  bottom,  in  the  south-east  part  of  Cal- 
loway county,  and  entirely  within  this  river  valley,  has  a 
surface  loam  soil,  black  from  decayed  vegetation.  It  spreads 
out  over  a broad  flat  in  places,  presenting  a swamp  covered 
with  white  and  red  oaks,  and  poplar,  some  hickory  and  wal- 
nut, and  a dense  undergrowth  of  gum  and  hazel.  The  soil 
is  thin,  averaging  about  six  inches  in  depth,  and  suddenly 
changes  to  a compact  crawfishy  white  clay  subsoil.  The 
analyses  of  both  soil  and  subsoil  are  given  below.  Cypress 
creek  has  scarcely  any  bottom  lands. 

The  analyses  given  below  show  the  chemical  composition  of 
these  valley  lands. 

No.  2752.  Virgin,  Crawfishy,  or  Glady  Soil,  of  Tennessee 
valley,  one  mile  north  of  Calvert  City,  Marshall  county. 
Sample  taken  to  the  depth  of  twelve  inches.  Growth,  red 
and  post  oaks,  hickory  and  dogwood.  The  soil  is  mottled 
yellow  and  white  in  color,  and  silty  *in  character.  The  sub- 
soil seems  to  be  of  the  same  character. 

No.  2753.  Virgin  Loam  Soil,  of  the  central  portion  of 
Tennessee  river  valley,  one  mile  north  of  Birmingham,  Mar 
shall  county.  Sample  taken  to  the  depth  of  twelve  inches. 
Growth,  oak  and  sassafras 


SWAMP  CYPRESS,  CALLOWAY  CO.,  KY. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


151 


No.  2751.  Virgin  Soil.  Dark  sandy  loam,  from  low  ridge 
of  Tennessee  river  valley,  two  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
Jonathan  creek,  Marshall  county.  Sample  taken  to  the 
depth  of  twelve  inches.  Grrowth,  white  and  Spanish  oaks 
and  dogwood. 

No.  2747.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  crawfish  flats  of  the  Tennes- 
see river  valley,  Marshall  county  ; two  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  Jonathan  creek.  Sample  taken  to  the  depth  of  eight 
inches.  Growth,  hickory  and  red  and  post  oaks,  and  sas- 
safras. 

No.  2748.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding  soil;  color  some- 
what lighter  than  that.  Clods  are  firmer.  Contained  about 
8.9  per  cent,  of  bog  iron. 

No.  2627.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee  river; 
AV.  E.  Brown’s  place,  south  of  Shannon  creek,  Calloway 
county.  When  dry  it  is  of  a dark  greyish-brown  color ; 
clods  are  friable.  Contains  small  bog  iron  ore. 

No.  2628.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding ; when  dry  it  is 
of  a light  reddish,  greyish-brown  color.  Clods  are  friable. 

N o.  2634.  Virgin  Bottom  Soil,  of  Shannon  creek ; is  umber 
color  ; clods  are  friable. 

No.  2635.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding;  taken  at  the 
depth  of  six  to  twelve  inches.  A stiff  yellowish  clay. 


TENNESSEE  RIVER  YALLEY  LANDS. 


Marshall  County. 

Calloway  County. 

CoMPOsiTif'N,  Dried  at 
212°  F. 

Calvert 

City. 

Bir- 

ming- 

ham 

Two  Miles  North  of 
Jonathan  Creek. 

Brown’s  Place 
N.  Buffalo  Ld. 

Shannon  Creek. 

Glady 

Soil. 

Loam 

Soil. 

Loam 

Soil. 

Glady 

Soil. 

Glady 

Subsoil. 

Loam 

Soil. 

Loam 

Subsoil. 

Loam 

Soil. 

Glady 

Subsoil. 

No.  2752 

Nn.  2753 

No.  2751 

No.  2747 

No.  2748 

No.  2627 

No.  2628 

No.  2634 

No.  2635 

Organic  and  volatile 

matter  . .... 

3.506 

4.411 

3 467 

3.443 

2.373 

5 482 

2.627 

5.848 

3.500 

Alumina  and  manga- 

nese  oxide 

3 030 

4 448 

4 875 

3.303 

5 021 

3 595 

5 333 

4.982 

4 332 

Iron  peroxide 

2 037 

3 395 

2 332 

1.955 

2 630 

3.060 

4 365 

2 455 

5.575 

Lime  carbonate 

trace. 

trace 

.046 

.025 

trace. 

.147 

.222 

.163 

.132 

Magnesia 

.281 

.344 

.194 

.162 

.139 

245 

180 

.378 

.364 

Phosphoric  acid  .... 

. 110 

,094 

.113 

.136 

.110 

.124 

.124 

.249 

.159 

Potash 

.305 

.160 

.192 

.047 

.515 

.246 

.517 

.259 

.604 

oda 

.046 

Water  expelled  at  380° 

F . . 

.509 

.557 

531 

.607 

.227 

1 401 

.859 

1 323 

,814 

^aud  and  insoluble  eiii- 

cates  

89  613 

86.678 

88.460 

90.217 

88.877 

84.792 

86  200 

84.356 

84  426 

Total 

99.467 

100.087 

100.210 

99.895 

99.892 

99.092 

100.427 

100.013 

99.906 

Hygroscopic  moisture  . 

1.900 

1 400 

1.225 

1.300 

1 100 

1.500 

1.050 

1.850 

1.700 

Potash  in  insoluble  sili* 

cates  

1.506 

1.614 

1,600 

1.544 

.515 

1,469 

1.360 

1.268 

1.380 

Soda  in  insoluble  sili- 

cates  

.312 

.598 

.398 

1.418 

.153 

.267 

.694 

.309 

.588 

Fine  quartz  sand  . . . 

2.050 

2.200 

152 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  none  of  these  lands  are 
very  clayey  ; but,  on  the  contrary,  are  largely  made  up  of  a 
fine  silty  material  insoluble  in  acids. 

The  lime  percentage  is  almost  nothing  in  the  lower  portion 
of  the  valley;  is  very  small  in  the  central  part,  and  much 
greater,  though  still  small,  in  the  upper  portion  near  the 
Tennessee  State  line,  where  limestone  becomes  a more  promi- 
nent rock  in  the  hills.  The  magnesia  percentage  is  more 
constant  throughout  the  valley. 

The  phosphoric  acid  percentage  is  very  variable,  being 
small  in  all  of  the  soils,  and  fair  in  the  land  of  Shannon  ' 
creek. 

The  amount  of  potash  is  deficient  in  the  glady  soil  near 
Jonathan  creek,  though  large  in  its  subsoil;  is  fair  in  the 
lands  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  valley,  and  soils  of  the 
upper  portion,  while  the  subsoils  of  the  latte'r  are  very  rich 
in  it.  The  insoluble  silicates  contain  extremely  large  per- 
centages of  potash,  except  in  the  glady  subsoil  near  Jona- 
than creek. 

In  decayed  vegetation  the  lands  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
valley  are  again  richer  than  in  the  central  or  lower  portion, 
being  marked  by  a denser  and  greater  variety  of  under- 
growth. 

Valley  of  the  Ohio. — This  valley,  exclusive  of  the  bottom 
lands,  lies  entirely  within  Kentucky,  and  covers  an  area  of 
about  seventy-five  square  miles,  from  Paducah,  where  it 
joins  that  of  the  Tennessee  and  Clark’s  rivers,  westward  to 
the  Mississippi  bottom. 

At  first  the  valley  has  a width  but  little  more  than  two 
miles ; but  when  near  the  Ballard  county  line  it  suddenly 
widens,  the  southern  limit  changing  from  its  north-west  to  a 
south-west  and  west  course,  giving  to  it  a width  of  about  six 
miles. 

The  surface  of  this  valley  is  uneven,  and  lies  about  thirty 
feet  above  the  bottom  lands  and  one  hundred  below  that  of 
the  bordering  uplands. 

This  highland  border  is  usually  quite  abrupt  in  the  region 
of  Paducah ; . but  westward  the  change  from  the  valley  to 
the  hills  is  somewhat  more  gradual. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  i*uuciiase  uk(hon.  153 

The  bottoms  bordering  the  streams  that  cut  across  the  val- 
ley are  but  little  below  the  general  level,  and  are  very  narrow. 

The  character  of  the  valley  lands  is  very  similar  to  that 
of  the  Tennessee.  Its  soils  are  brownish  loams,  more  or  less 
micaceous,  light  and  mellow  where  properly  drained,  but 
whitish  and  crawlishy,  cold  and  compact,  where  drainage  is 
wanting.  On  the  latter  lands,  which  embrace  the  Jlats  of 
rhe  valley,  water  usually  stands  for  some  time  after  rains, 
slowly  permeating  the  soil  and  producing  a leaching  effect. 
The  growth  of  these  flats  is  generally  post  oak,  with  some 
hickory. 

Very  little  of  the  valley  land  is  under  cultivation,  because 
of  its  cold,  stiff  and  untillable  character. 

Analyses  of  samples  of  the  soil  from  several  localities  are 
given  below. 

Valley  of  Clark's  River. — The  valley  of  this  stream  begins 
properly  just  below  Kaler  post  office,  in  Graves  county,  on 
the  West  Fork,  where,  from  a mere  point,  it  widens  slowly 
to  me  McCracKen  county  lirxS  at  Hard  Money,  where  it  sud- 
denly turns  westward  for  a mile  or  so,  and  thence,  to  near 
Paducah,  has  a very  uneven  upland  border,  which  rises  one 
hundred  feet  above  it.  Its  extreme  width,  from  Florence  to 
the  junction  of  the  East  and  West  Fork,  is  about  five  miles. 
On  the  East  Fork  it  begins  above  the  town,  and  thence,  to 
the  main  body,  has  an  average  width  of  less  than  a mile. 
The  river  has  scarcely  any  bottom  land  within  the  valley. 

The  surface  of  the  valley  is  very  level  and  with  no  drain- 
age, and  its  soils,  in  consequence,  have  a whitish,  leached 
character,  cold,  stiff  and  crawlishy,  affording  very  little  land 
naturally  fit  for  cultivation.  Along  the  borders  of  streams 
or  gullies,  however,  the  water,  percolating  through  the  soil, 
has  an  opportunity  to  escape  into  these  channels,  and  we  find 
very  narrow  belts  that  are  thus  rendered  tillable,  being  light, 
open  and  brownish-yellow ; but  such  are  not  in  abundance. 

The  valley  land  is  chiefly  valuable  for  its  fine  timber, 
embracing  large  oaks  and  hickory.  There  is  comparatively 
little  undergrowth,  and  this  gives  to  the  region  an  open 
appearance.  An  analysis  of  a representative  soil  is  given 
below. 


164 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  2.561.  Yirgin  Soil  of  the  fiatwood  loam,  Bandana, 
Ballard  county ; it  is  of  a yellowish-brown  color.  Clods  are 
friable.  Contains  some  shot  iron  ore  and  a few  small  quartz 
pebbles.  Taken  to  a depth  of  ten  inches.  Timber  growth 
is  post  oak  and  hickory. 

N o.  2562.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding ; it  is  of  a dirty 
light-yellowish  color,  and  contains  only  a little  shot  iron  ore ; 
the  clods  are  firm.  Taken  from  ten  to  sixteen  inches. 

No.  2767.  Soil  of  the  oak  and  hickory  fiat  lands  of  Albert 
Bradshaw,  south-west  of  Paducah,  McCracken  county.  When 
dry  it  is  of  a brownish-grey  color.  Clods  are  firm.  The  soil 
contains  a small  quantity  of  fine  hyaline  quartz  sand.  Taken 
to  a depth  of  ten  inches.  Timber  growth,  post  oak  and 
hickory. 

No.  2768.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding ; it  is  of  a lighter 
and  more  yellowish  color  than  the  preceding.  Clods  are 
firm.  Contains  2.75  per  cent,  of  fine  hyaline  quartz  sand. 
Taken  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches. 

No.  2773.  Virgin  Soil  of  post  oak  flatwoods,  one  mile 
west  of  Paducah,  on  Hinkleville  road,  McCracken  county. 
The  soil  is  brownish-grey ; the  clods  are  friable.  Contains 
2.3  per  cent,  shot  iron  ore,  and  a little  hyaline  quartz  sand. 
Taken  to  a depth  of  ten  inches.  Timber,  chiefly  post  oak. 

No.  2774.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding ; when  dry  is  of 
a light  yellowish-grey  color.  Clods  are  quite  friable.  Con- 
tains some  shot  iron  ore  and  a small  quantity  of  fine  quartz 
sand.  Taken  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches. 

No.  2775.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  post  oak  flatwoods,  near  the 
county  line  north  of  Woodville,  McCracken  county;  when 
dry  is  of  a light-grey  or  ashy  color,  and  friable.  Contains 
some  shot  iron  ore.  Taken  to  a depth  of  ten  inches.  Tim- 
ber growth,  almost  exclusively  post  oak. 

No.  2776.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding;  it  is  of  a very 
light-grey  color.  Small  clods  are  somewhat  firm.  Contains 
some  shot  iron  ore  and  hyaline  quartz  sand.  Taken  from 
ten  to  fifteen  inches  deep. 

No.  2750.  Yirgin  Soil  of  post  oak  fiats  of  East  Fork  of 
Clark’s  river,  north  of  Stringtown,  Marshall  county.  It  is 
crawfishy  in  character.  Contains  some  shot  iron  ore  and  fine 
white  sand.  Taken,  to  a depth  of  ten  inches.  Subsoil  appar- 
ently similar  in  character  to  the  soil.  Timber  growth,  post 
oak,  chiefly. 


KIVER  VALLEY  OR  FLAT  LANDS. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


155 


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156  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES  . 

A notable  feature  in  all  of  the  above  analyses  is  the  low 
l)ercenta(je  of  both  lime,  phosphoric  acid,  and  of  decayed 
vegetable  matter. 

The  potash  is  in  fair  amounts  in  all  except  the  lands  of  the 
post  oak  hats  around  Paducah ; while,  on  the  contrary,  the 
percentage  is  very  good  in  the  soil  of  the  flats  near  String- 
town  on  the  East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river,  and  in  the  subsoil 
of  the  Ohio  valley,  near  Bandana. 

A marked  difference  is  observed  in  the  lands  of  the  oak 
and  hickory  flats,  and  those  of  the  post  oak  flats,  near  Padu- 
cah, the  former  having  nearly  double  the  amount  of  lime,  a 
little  more  phosphoric  acid,  and  much  more  potash ; this, 
too,  although  the  amount  of  potash  in  the  insoluble  condi- 
tion is  greatest  in  the  poorer  soil.  The  reason  for  this  lies, 
probably,  in  the  action  of  the  larger  amount  of  decayed  vege- 
tation in  the  oak  and  hickory  land. 

The  soil  of  Clark’s  river  valley,  near  Stringtown,  is  the 
richest  of  all  the  above  soils  in  its  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid.  Lime  is,  however,  deficient,  and  its  surface  is  too  flat 
for  good  drainage. 

UPLANDS. 

The  physical  features  of  the  uplands  of  the  Purchase  have 
already  been  given  on  a previous  page.  They  comprise  an 
uneven  surface,  grooved  by  many  streams  and  their  small 
tributaries,  which  have  cut  deep  into  the  soft  brown  loam 
of  the  surface,  the  gravel  underlying,  and  the  under-clays 
and  sands.  The  uplands  bordering  these  streams  are  in  turn 
often  deeply  gullied  and  washed  for  some  distance  back  from 
the  bottoms,  the  soil  being  easily  carried  away  by  rains. 

The  uplands  comprise  several  divisions ; the  Gane  Hills  or 
bluff  lands  that  cap  the  high  bluffs  bordering  the  Mississippi 
river  bottom  ; the  timbered  (oak  and  hickory)  region,  or  that 
portion  bearing  a large  and  varied  growth  of  oaks,  hickory, 
l>oplar,  etc.,  and  so  designated  popularly  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  Barrens,  another  division  which  was  originally  an 
open  prairie ; and  the  Flatwoods,  which  occupy  only  a small 
area  in  Calloway  county. 

At  present  the  entire  region  is  timbered,  except  where 
cut  away  for  tillage  purposes. 

The  divisions  are  considered  separately. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION.  I.')? 

CANE  HILL  OR  HLUFF  REGION. 

The  lands  belonging  to  this  division  are  confined  exclu- 
sively to  the  high  bluffs  that  border  the  bottom  lands  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  forming  a narrow  belt,  which  is  con- 
tinued southward  through  the  States  of  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi into  Louisiana,  and  is  characterized  throughout  by  the 
same  soils  and  timber  growth,  together  with  an  undergrowth 
of  cane,  whence  the  name  of  Cane  Hills.  The  surface  is 
underlaid  by  a grey  calcareous  silt,  having  a depth  of  from 
ten  to  as  much  as  thirty  feet,  and  which  forms  another 
distinguishing  feature  of  the  belt. 

In  Kentucky  the  region  reaches  from  the  Tennessee  State 
line  northward  to  Shawnee  creek  bej^ond  Wickliffe,  Ballard 
county.  Northward  it  was  probably  at  some  time  continu- 
ous into  the  State  of  Illinois,  as  it  appears  on  the  Ohio 
bluffs  at  Caledonia;  but  all  traces  of  the  formation  between 
these  points  have  been  swept  away  by  the  floods  that  exca- 
vated the  broad  valley  flats  along  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio 
river  and,  at  a later  period,  the  broad  bottoms  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, from  Wickliffe  to  Caledonia. 

The  fact  that  the  present  belt  is  highest  along  its  river 
border,  and  that  this  border  is  highest  in  its  most  westerly 
portion,  viz.,  at  the  Tennessee  line,  gradually  falling  in  ele- 
vation northward  as  the  border  recedes  eastward,  indicates 
that  at  some  time  the  bluffs  were  very  much  wider,  having 
been  worn  away  by  the  combined  currents  of  the  three  great 
rivers ; those  portions  offering  greatest  resistance  in  their 
compact  Tertiary  clay  deposits  still  standing  out  to  the 
water’s  edge,  and  gradually  yielding  to  the  undermining 
action  of  the  river  current. 

The  region  in  Kentucky  covers  about  forty-five  square 
miles,  and  is  widest  along  the  Tennessee  State  line,  reach- 
ing eastward  to  about  Snapneck  creek,  a distance  of  about 
four  miles.  The  slope  inland  is  here  very  gradual,  but 
northward,  as  the  belt  rapidly  narrows,  the  ridge  feature  is 
more  and  more  prominent,  until  at  the  town  of  Hickman, 
where  the  ridge  comes  to  a point,  its  eastern  descent  is 
very  abrupt.  After  passing  the  wide  bottoms  of  Bayou  de 
Chien  and  Obion  creek,  the  Cane  Hills  begin  again  at  Me- 


158  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 

Leod’s  Bluff,  with  an  elevation  of  but  fifty  feet;  but,  along 
the  north-westerly  trend,  the  bluffs  rise,  and  at  Chalk 
Banks”  and  at  Columbus  they  have  an  elevation  of  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  bottom  lands.  Here' 
they  have  a rather  gradual  slope  to  the  Obion  creek.  Groing 
still  northward  from  Columbus,  the  bluffs  recede  from  the 
river  to  the  eastward,  and  consequently  become  lower,  ter- 
minating at  Shawnee  creek  in  low  elevations  and  but  a small 
width. 

The  soil  of  the  Cane  Hills  region  is  a light  loam,  dark 
from  decayed  vegetation,  and  considered  to  be  the  richest 
upland  within  the  Purchase  Region.  The  timber  growth 
indicates  this  in  its  splendid  walnuts,  poplars,  maples,  white 
and  Spanish  oaks,  and  in  the  cane  undergrowth. 

The  surface  of  the  region  is,  however,  so  broken  and  cut 
up  by  the  deep  ravines  and  washes  that  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  drainage  waters  flowing  from  the  edge  of  the 
bluffs  toward  the  interior,  that  it  is  only  occasionally  that 
areas  of  level  land  can  be  found  sufficient  for  fields  of  any 
size,  except  in  the  broader  region  near  the  Tennessee  line. 

The  following  analyses  of  samples  of  these  lands,  from 
several  localities,  have  been  made  by  Dr.  Peter  for  the 
Survey. 

’ No.  2128.  Virgin  Soil.  Farm  of  Capt.  Henry  Tyler,  three 
miles  south-east  from  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  Growth, 
mostly  poplar,  maple,  white  and  Spanish  oaks,  and  some 
walnut.  Contained  but  a small  proportion  of  partly-rounded 
ferruginous  particles. 

No.  2129.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding,  etc.,  taken  twenty- 
four  inches  below  the  surface. 

No  2130.  Soil  from  an  old  field  near  the  location  of  the 
next  preceding  soil,  on  Capt.  Henry  Tyler’s  tarm,  near  Hick- 
man, Fulton  county.  Taken  ten  inches  deep.  The  yield 
is  sixty-five  bushels  of  corn  per  acre. 

No.  2131.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding;  taken  carefully 
from  fifteen  to  twenty-four  inches  below  the  surface.  The 
bulk  of  the  sample  is  from  twenty-four  inches  below  the 

surface. 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  i’ukciiase  ueoion. 


159 


No.  2132.  Virgin  Upland  Soil  on  Capt.  Henry  Tyler’s 
farm,  near  Hickman,  Fulton  county.  Timber,  proportion  in 
order  named : black  walnut,  white  oak,  sugar  maple,  and  red 
oak. 

No.  2133.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding  soil,  from  Capt. 
Tyler’s  farm  ; taken  twelve  to  twenty-four  inches  below  the 
surface. 

No.  2164.  Soil.  Two  years  in  cultivation  in  corn.  Thought 
to  be  the  prevailing  upland  soil  in  Hickman  county. 

No.  2566.  Virgin,  Dark,  Bluff  Loam  Soil.  Near  the 
mouth  of  Mayfield  creek,  Ballard  county.  Taken  eight 
inches  deep.  Growth,  poplar,  white  oak  and  hickory. 

No.  2567.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding ; bluff  loam ; taken 
from  eight  to  twelve  inches  below  the  surface. 

GKEY  SILT  OK  BLUFF  LANDS. 


Fulton 

County, 

Hick- 
man Co. 

Ballard  County. 

Near  Hickman. 

Colum 

bus 

South  0 May  • 
field  Creek. 

Composition  Dried  at 

Cultivated. 

Virgin. 

212®  F. 

Cultiva- 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

ted  Soil. 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

No.  2128 

No.  2129 

No  2130 

No.  2131 

No  2132 

No.  2133 

No.  2164 

No.  2560 

No.  2567 

Organic  and  volatile 

matter 

3.090 

2.285 

8 375 

4,140 

2 860 

2.165 

4 140 

3.733 

1.281 

Alumina  and  manga, 
nese  oxide 

1 

j-3  825 

It.too 

1 

U 860 

] 

I-  10.560 

1 

i-3.560 

1 

'(■6.550 

1 

[•3.694 

2 130 

3.268 

Iron  peroxide 

J 

J 

j 

j 

j 

J 

J 

1.519 

2.224 

Lime 

.395 

.145 

1.395 

.795 

.345 

.110 

.495 

.349 

.146 

]^Iagne?ia 

.214 

268 

.,598 

.169 

.142 

.232 

.232 

.175 

.234 

Phosphoric  acid  .... 

.125 

.115 

.125 

.115 

.125 

.140 

.1.56 

.095 

.078 

Potash 

.066 

.186 

.332 

.208 

.074 

.275 

.182 

.265 

.109 

Soda  

Water  expelled  at  380° 

not  est. 

.142 

.073 

317 

.182 

.050 

.564 

.057 

.023 

F 

Sand  and  insoluble  sili- 

1.050 

.840 

2.650 

1.501 

.975 

.650 

1.010 

1.064 

.958 

cates  

91  125 

87.795 

79.340 

82  395 

91.740 

89  670 

90  095 

90.303 

91 . 069 

Total 

99.890 

99  476 

99.748 

100.200 

100  003 

99.842 

100.568 

99.690 

99  390 

Hygroscopic  moisture  . 
Potash  in  the  insoluble 

1 335 

2 610 

3 585 

3.975 

1.000 

1.725 

1.735 

1.300 

.900 

silicates 

Soda  in  the  insoluble 

1 784 

1.675 

1.865 

1.873 

1.969 

1 935 

1.899 

1.859 

2.031 

silicates 

1 208 

.893 

1.030 

.841 

.8t2 

.991 

.573 

1.025 

.927 

The  above  soils,  being  derived  from  calcaceous  silt,  show 
naturally  a fair  percentage  of  lime — that  of  the  soil  No.  2130, 
and  its  subsoil,  being  very  large. 


160 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


As  a whole,  the  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  in  the 
different  soils  is  fair  for  a soil  with  so  little  clay — that 
of  the  soil  of  the  Columbus  bluffs  being  the  greatest. 

The  potash  percentage  varies  greatly — is  low  in  several 
instances,  and  fair  in  the  richer  soils. 

THE  FLATWOODS. 

In  the  counties  of  Marshall  and  Calloway  there  are  large 
areas  of  uplands  that  are  very  level,  and  are  known  as 
“the  Flatwoods.”  That  in  Marshall  county  lies  south-west 
of  Benton,  and  covers  an  area  of  nearly  ten  square  miles 
upon  the  divide  between  the  drainage  waters  of  the  East 
and  West  Forks  of  Clark’s  river.  The  surface  is  a little 
undulating,  and  in  the  low  places  the  soil  is  inclined  to  be 
crawfishy,  with  a post  oak  growth.  On  the  higher  places 
it  is  the  brownish-yellow  loam  of  the  rest  of  the  county, 
with  a timber  growth  of  black  oak  and  hickory,  and  some 
white  oak,  dogwood  and  sassafras.  The  soil  is  said  to  yield 
about  twenty-five  bushels  of  corn,  or  ten  of  wheat  per  acre  ; 
it  is,  however,  best  for  tobacco,  of  which  it  yields  from 
eight  hundred  to  one  thousand  pounds  per  acre. 

The  Flatwoods  of  Calloway  county  lie  south  of  Murray, 
reaching  from  the  south  side  of  the  river  to  the  Tennessee 
State  line,  covering  an  area  about  six  miles  long  and  two 
to  three  in  breadth,  or  about  sixteen  square  miles  of  sur- 
face. It  is  the  northern  termination  of  that  long  and  narrow 
belt  reaching  from  the  central  part  of  Alabama  north-west- 
ward and  northward  through  north-east  Mississippi  and  West 
Tennessee,  and  possessing  features  very  similar  throughout.* 

In  Kentucky,  the  Flatwoods  presents  a very  level  surface, 
with  large  bodies  of  stiff,  whitish,  crawfishy  land,  timbered 
with  a growth  of  red  and  post  oaks ; the  better  lands,  with 
their  loamy  soils,  having  an  additional  intermixture  of  hick- 
ory. The  crawfish  lands  are  impervious  to  a depth  of  sev- 
eral feet,  and  in  wet  seasons  water  stands  in  ponds  upon 
these  flats  for  a long  time.  These  soils  yield  very  poorly, 

■*See  Tenth  Census  Reports  on  Cotton  Production  for  these  States,  volumes 
V and  VI. 


OK  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PUKCIIASE  IlKOION, 


161 


the  average  being,  it  is  said,  but  iive  bushels  of  corn,  ten  of 
wheat,  or  seven  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  per  acre. 

The  following  analyses  of  these  Flatvvoods  lands  have  been 
made  by  T)r.  Peter  for  the  Survey,  the  soils  having  been  col- 
lected during  the  progress  of  the  Survey. 

No.  2G3i.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  post  oak  Flatwoods,  two 
miles  east  of  the  Murray  and  Paris  road,  near  the  State  line, 
Calloway  county.  Taken  six  inches  deep.  When  dry  it  is 
of  a dirty  grey-buff  color ; clods  are  friable.  It  contains 
some  bog  iron  ore  and  tine  white  quartz  sand.  Timber 
growth  is  post  and  red  oaks. 

No.  2633.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  It  is  of  a light 
yellowish-grey  color.  Taken  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  depth. 
The  clods  are  somewhat  firmer  than  those  of  the  preceding, 
and  the  soil  contains  some  shot  iron  ore  and  fine  white  quartz 
sand. 

No.  2625.  Virgin  Soil  of  upland,  one  mile  north  of  New 
Providence,  Calloway  county.  Taken  six  inches  deep.  When 
dry  it  is  of  a light  grey-brown  color;  clods  are  friable,  and 
the  soil  contains  some  shot  iron  ore.  Timber  growth  is 
post  and  red  oaks  and  hickory. 

No.  2626.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  It  is  of  a lighter 
color,  and  more  reddish  than  the  preceding,  and  the  clods 
are  firmer. 

No.  2754.  Flatwood  Virgin  Soil,  four  miles  south  of  Ben- 
ton, on  Harvey  road,  Marshall  county.  Taken  eight  inches. 
When  dry  it  is  of  a light  grey-brown  color,  and  contains  a 
small  quantity  of  shot  iron  ore.  Timber  growth  comprises 
red  and  white  oaks,  hickory  and  sassafras. 

No.  2755.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Taken  from  eight 
to  fourteen  inches  deep.  It  is  of  a light  grey-brown  color. 
The  clods  are  moderately  firm. 

GEOL.  SUE. — 11. 


162 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUEES 


UPLAND  FLAT  WOODS  SOILS. 


Dried  at  212°  F. 

Calloway  County. 

Mak.shall  Co. 

Two  miles  east  of 
the  Murray  and 
Paris  road. 

One  mile  north  of 
New  Providence. 

Four  miles  south 
of  Benton. 

Crawfish 

Soil. 

Crawfish 

Subsoil. 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

No.  2632 

No.  2633 

No.  2625 

No.  2626 

No.  2754 

No.  2755 

Organic  and  volatile  matter  . 

2.650 

2.188 

2.862 

2.569 

2.949 

2.330 

Alumina  and  mangan’se oxide 

1.989 

2.899 

3.321 

4.920 

3.671 

4.037 

Iron  peroxide 

2.564 

2.836 

2.968 

4.145 

2.077 

2.667 

Lime  carbonate 

.652 

.096 

trace. 

.046 

.046 

.046. 

Magnesia 

.089 

.153 

.234 

.215 

.226 

.327 

Phosphoric  acid 

.076 

.094 

.062 

.062 

.046 

.014 

Potash 

.068 

.127 

.369 

.151 

.117 

.079 

Soda 

.097 

• • 

.048 

Water  expelled  at  380°  . . . 

.657 

.522 

.824 

.755 

.974 

.794 

Sand  and  insoluble  silicates  . 

91.345 

90.900 

89.353 

86.342 

89.452 

89.453 

Total 

100  090 

99.815 

99.993 

99.302 

99.558 

99.795 

Hygroscopic  moisture.  . . . 

1.150 

1.300 

0.950 

1.125 

1.300 

1.300 

Potash  in  insoluble  silicates  . 

1.090 

1.093 

1.245 

1.264 

1.434 

1.462 

Soda  in  insoluble  silicates.  . 

.455 

.439 

.374 

.339 

.542 

.430 

Fine  quartz  sand 

5.800 

5.050 

It  will  be  seen  at  a glance  that  these  soils  and  subsoils 
are  deficient  in  phosphoric  acid,  and  also  in  potash,  in  an 
available  form,  with  the  exception  of  the  soil  from  near  New 
Providence,  which  has  a fair  amount  of  the  latter.  , 

The  soil  and  subsoil.  Nos.  2632  and  2633,  from  the  typical 
flatwoods,  near  the  Tennessee  line,  are  crawfishy  in  character, 
and  contain  much  less  clay  than  the  others  whose  analyses 
are  given ; there  are  larger  percentages  of  phosphoric  acid 
and  lime  than  in  the  others. 

The  analyses  of  the  lands  from  the  other  two  localities 
in  Calloway  and  Marshall  counties  show  them  to  be  more 
clayey  and  somewhat  richer  than  the  first,  a result  to  be 
expected,  because  of  their  better  drainage  and  more  loamy 
condition. 

In  all  of  the  specimens  the  analyses  show  that  while  the 
alkalies  are  present  in  very  large  amounts,  they  are  very 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCJIASK  UKGION.  lOIi 

largely  held  in  an  insoluble  condition  as  silicate.  The  remedy 
is  obviously  the  application  of  lime  to  release  the  potash 
and  render  it  available  for  the  plant  roots,  the  mechanical 
condition  also  being  improved  by  thorough  drainage.  The 
phosphoric  acid  must  be  supplied  by  some  fertilizer. 

UPLAND  “barrens.” 

There  is  within  the  Purchase  counties  a broad  region  of 
country  which  was  formerly  an  open  treeless  prairie,  but 
which,  within  the  past  thirty  years,  has  been  covered  with 
a low  growth  of  red  and  black  jack  oaks,  and  is  still  known 
as  the  Barrens.''''  In  the  country  west  of  Mayfield  to  Obion 
creek  it  is  said  that  twenty-five  years  ago  the  prairie  grass 
was  as  high  as  the  head  of  a man  on  horseback. 

The  region  occupies  the  central  part  of  the  Purchase  coun- 
try, and  comprises  two  regions — the  first  beginning  at  the 
Tennessee  State  line  in  the  southern  part  of  Graves  county, 
reaches  northeastward  and  northward  into  south  Marshall 
and  northern  Graves.  It  is  outlined  on  the  agricultural  map 
accompanying  this  report.  Beginning  a little  west  of  Boyds- 
ville,  the  eastern  limit,  with  very  irregular  outlines,  passes 
east  of  Harris  Grove,  a little  west  of  Murray,  north  to  and 
a little  beyond  Wadesboro,  thence  west  nearly  to  the  West 
Fork  of  Clark’s  river,  and  from  west  side  of  that  river  north- 
westward to  Ragsdale,  Mayfield  creek  bluffs.  It  embraces 
the  country  west  of  the  latter  creek  from  two  or  three  miles 
west  of  Lewisburg,  southward  via  Kansas,  Pottsville,  Fancy 
Farm,  Dublin  and  Wingo,  to  the  Tennessee  line.  The  region 
passes  but  a very  short  distance  into  Tennessee,  apparently 
limited  by  the  water  divide  that  separates  the  streams  of 
that  State  from  those  of  this  part  of  Kentucky. 

The  second  and  large  region  lies  still  north-west  from 
this  region,  but  separated  from  it  by  the  uplands  that  bor 
der  the  north  side  of  Mayfield  creek.  This  tract  has  its 
western  limit  in  a line  with  that  of  the  southern  barrens, 
and  reaches  from  Hazlewood  south-east  to  and  beyond 
Slater  post-office,  and  thence  it  bends  north-east  to  near 
Maxon’s  Mill  post-office,  and  is  limited  on  the  northern 
border  by  the  Ohio  river  valley. 


1G4 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  entire  area  covered  by  the  Barrens  is  about  five  hun- 
dred square  miles.  Within  this  area  most  of  the  streams 
are  bordered  by  the  so-called  timbered  uplands  in  narrow 
belts. 

The  growth  that  first  sprang  up  on  the  prairies  was  black 
jack  oak,  which,  as  the  soil  was  improved  by  decayed  veg- 
etation, was  replaced  by  red  oak,  which  at  present  is  only 
about  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  high,  the  tops  presenting 
quite  an  even  appearance.  A larger  post  oak  tree  is  occa- 
sionally found  standing  among  the  other  oaks. 

In  its  general  character,  excepting  the  growth,  the  Bar- 
rens region  is  very  similar  to  the  Oak  and  Hickory  uplands, 
and  it  often  happens  that  the  timber  itself  changes  but 
gradually  from  one  to  the  other. 

In  their  chemical  composition,  also,  the  lands  of  the  two 
divisions  are  very  similar,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  analyses 
of  their  respective  soils. 

The  soil  is  a brown  loam,  several  feet  in  depth,  the  subsoil 
being  lighter  in  color,  and  permeated  by  seams  of  a whiter 
and  more  silty  character. 

In  the  flat  portions  of  the  region  the  soil  has  a still  and 
white  crawfishy  nature,  often  containing  much  red  and  yel- 
low ferruginous  concretionary  gravel  or  bog  iron  ore.  It  is 
said  that  only  upon  these  bog  ore  tracts  will  water  remain 
for  any  length  of  time  in  ponds  prepared  for  watering 
purposes ; the  other  lands  being  so  loose  that  water  will 
percolate  downward  and  drain  off. 

The  tilling  qualities  of  the  Barrens  land  is  the  same  as 
of  other  uplands.  The  crops  are  corn,  wheat  and  tobacco, 
the  land  being  especially  adapted  to  the  latter. 

A tobacco  merchant  in  Milburn  asserts  that  he  can  at 
sight  determine  the  kind  of  land  a crop  of  tobacco  has 
been  raised  upon,  when  offered  to  him  for  purchase;  that 
from  the  Barrens  having  small  stems,  small  fibre,  dark 
color  and  good  body;  that  of  the  oak  and  hickory  uplands 
being  the  reverse  in  condition. 

The  yield  in  tobacco  is  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand pounds  per  acre.  For  corn  and  wheat  the  yield  is  no 
better  than  on  other  lands. 

Analyses  have  been  made  of  the  following  soils,  as  shown 
in  the  table  below. 

No.  2096.  Barrens  Soil.  Farm  of  W.  H.  Reeves,  about 


OF  THE  JACKSON  S PURCHASE  REGION. 


105 


six  miles  north  of  Blandville.  Four  years  in  cultivation 
in  tobacco,  three  years  in  corn,  and  four  in  wheat.  The 
dried  soil  is  in  friable  lumps,  of  a dirty  yellowish-brown 
color.  It  contains  a few  soft  ferruginous  concretions  and 
small  quartz  pebbles. 

No.  2097.  Subsoil  of  the  field  above  described.  Sample 
taken  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  below  the  surface.  The 
dried  subsoil  is  in  friable  clods ; its  color  is  somewhat  lighter 
than  that  of  the  preceding.  It  contains  only  a few  small, 
rounded  ferruginous  concretions. 

No.  2559.  Virgin  Upland  Brown  Loam  Soil  from  Bar- 
rens, one  mile  south-east  of  Hazelwood,  Ballard  county. 
Contains  some  bog  iron  ore.  Taken  eight  inches  deep. 
Timber  growth  comprises  red  and  black  jack  oaks. 

No.  2560.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Contains  some 
bog  iron  ore.  Taken  eight  to  fourteen  inches  deep. 

No.  2771.  Virgin  Soil  of  Red  Oak  Barrens,  four  miles 
east  of  Woodville,  McCracken  county.  Soil  is  of  a grey- 
brown  color.  Clpds  are  friable.  Taken  eight  inches  deep. 
The  silicious  residue  contains  a small  quantity  of  fine  hyaline 
quartz  sand.  Timber  growth  is  small  red  and  post  oaks ; 
occasionally  a large  oak  tree. 

No.  2772.  Subsoil  of  next  preceding.  It  is  of  a brown- 
ish-buff color,  lighter  colored  than  the  preceding.  Taken 
from  eight  to  twelve  inches  deep.  Clods  are  friable.  Con- 
tains 3.60  per  cent,  of  bog  iron  ore. 

No.  2660.  Virgin  Soil  of  Black  Jack  Oak  Barrens,,  three 
miles  north-west  of  Mayfield,  Graves  county.  Taken  six 
inches  deep.  Soil,  when  dry,  is  of  a brownish-grey  color. 
Clods  are  friable. 

No.  2661.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Taken  from  six 
to  twelve  inches.  When  dry  is  of  a greyish-buff  color.  Clods 
are  comparatively  firm. 

No.  2623.  Virgin  Soil  of  the  Big  Barrens.  Ten  miles 
northwest  of  Murray,  Calloway  county.  Taken  six  inches 
deep.  The  dried  soil  is  of  a greyish-brown  color.  Clods  are 
friable.  It  contains  some  bog  iron  ore  and  fine  white  sand. 
Timber  growth,  red,  black  jack  and  post  oak,  and  some 
hickory,  all  small. 

No.  2624.  Subsoil  of  next  preceding.  Taken  from  six  to 
twelve  inches.  It  is  of  a lighter  and  more  reddish  grey- 
brown  color  than  the  preceding.  Clods  are  more  firm. 


COMPOSITIOIS!  OF  BARRENS  SOILS. 


166 


GEOLOGICAL  AND 


ECONOMIC 


FEATURES 


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OK  TIIK  JACKSON’S  rUUCIIASE  REGION. 


1G7 


In  the  above  analyses  the  cnltivated  soil  • is  clearly  the 
richest  in  lime  and  phosphoric  acid,  the  presence  of  so  much 
lime  pointing  to  the  conclusion  that  manures  of  some  kind 
have  been  used,  or  that  the  spot  from  which  the  sample  was 
taken  was  enriched  in  some  way  far  above  the  natural  con- 
dition of  the  lands  represented  by  the  other  analyses,  and 
which  show  a great  deficiency  in  lime  and  phosphoric  acid. 

The  potash  percentage  in  the  Hazelwood  soils  and  subsoils 
is  very  large,  especially  in  the  latter;  the  amount  is  fair  in 
lands  near  Woodville,  and  in  the  Calloway  county  subsoil, 
but  very  low  in  other  lands,  excluding  the  cultivated  soil 
already  mentioned.  There  is,  however,  a very  large  amount 
of  potash  in  the  insoluble  silicates,  which  liming  and  the 
application  of  decayed  vegetation  would  render  available. 
The  phosphoric  acid  must  be  added  in  the  form  of  fertil- 
izers, before  the  land  can  attain  any  degree  of  durable  rich- 
ness. 

OAK  AND  HICKORY  UPLANDS. 

This  division  covers  a little  less  than  two-thirds  of  the 
entire  uplands,  reaching  from  the  foot  of  the  Cane  Hills  on 
the  west,  to  the  brow  of  the  -highlands  that  face  the  Ten- 
nessee valley  on  the  east,  excluding  the  region  of  Barrens 
that  occupy  a large  central  portion  of  the  country. 

The  surface  is  rolling  and  somewhat  broken,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  denudation  by  streams,  and  is  well  timbered 
with  red,  black,  Spanish  and  post  oaks  and  hickory,  and 
an  undergrowth  of  dogwood  and  sassafras. 

The  soil  is  a brown  loam,  some  four  feet  in  depth,  over- 
lying  a lighter  colored  loam,  which  is  often  permeated  with 
seams  of  a lighter  or  greyish-ashy  silt.  These  seams  appar- 
ently represent  cracks  produced  in  the  original  deposit  by 
drying,  and  which  were  tilled  by  silt  at  the  time  of  the 
deposition  of  the  silt  of  the  Cane  Hills ; they  contain 
scarcely  any  clay.  This  under-clay  varies  in  depth  from  a 
few  feet  to  as  much  as  twenty,  and  overlies  the  gravel 
beds  of  the  Quaternary  age. 

The  loam  contains  but  about  ten  per  cent,  of  clay,  the  rest 
being  mostly  silica  in  a fine  state  of  division,  holding  also 
mineral  silicates. 


168 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


When  drained,  the  soil  is  light  and  loose,  and  of  a bright 
brownish-color ; but  where,  on  the  contrary,  drainage  is  defi- 
cient, the  iron  in  the  loam  is  accumulated  in  the  jiools  of 
water  into  the  form  of  small  blackisli  concretions  or  bog 
ore,  and  the  soil  becomes  whitish  and  highly  compact,  dif- 
fering but  little,  however,  in  its  chemical  composition  from 
the  better  and  well-drained  land. 

These  lands  are  highly  productive  for  a few  years,  yield- 
ing good  crops  of  corn  and  tobacco.  The  latter  crop  does 
best  on  the  Barrens,  where  it  is  also  said  to  be  much  finer  in 
character. 

Analyses  of  the  following  samples  show  the  average  com- 
position of  these  uplands : 

No.  1437.  Subsoil  of  an  old  tobacco  field.  The  soil 
proper  has  been  washed  away.  Field  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  the  Mississippi  river,  four  miles  east  of 
Hickman,  Fulton  county. 

No.  2125.  Virgin  Soil,  from  the  land  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Pascal, 
half  a mile  north  of  Fulton,  Fulton  county. 

No.  2126.  Surface  Soil,  from  an  old  field  forty  years  in 
cultivation.  Farm  of  Dr.  Pascal,  half  a mile  from  Fulton, 
Fulton  county.  Sample  taken  three  to  twelve  inches  below 
the  surface. 

No.  2127.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Taken  from 
thirteen  to  twenty  inches  below  the  surface.  Contained 
small  ferruginous  concretions. 

No.  2563.  Virgin  Dark  Loam  Soil;  from  Barlow,  Ballard 
county.  Taken  to  the  depth  of  eight  inches.  Timber,  white 
oak,  poplar,  gum  and  sassafras.  Contained  a little  bog  iron 
ore. 

No.  2564.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding;  taken  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  below  the  surface. 

No.  2.  Soil  from  the  north-western  part  of  Ballard  county, 
near  Col.  Gholson’s. 

No.  219.  Subsoil  from  the  north-western'  part  of  Ballard 
county,  from  near  Col.  Gholson’s.  Contained  rounded  frag- 
ments of  bog  iron  ore. 

No.  2098.  Subsoil  of  the  uplands  around  Bland ville,  Bal- 
lard county.  Taken  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches. 


BARTRAM  OAK.  CALLOWAY  CO.,  KY. 
( heleroiih^Ua.) 


library 

UNlVtRSaV  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


OF  THE  JACKSON'S  PUUCIIASE  REGION,  1()!> 

below  the  smi'ace.  Cliaracteristic  of  most  of  the  uiihiiid  sub 
soils  in  the  “Jackson  Purchase.” 

No.  2099.  Under-clay  of  the  uplands  around  Blandville. 
'faken  several  feet  below  the  surface.  It  crops  out  just  below 
the  gravel-bed,  and  is  several  feet  thick.  It  is  observed 
nearly  all  over  the  “Jackson  Purchase”  where  there  is  much 
soil.  Shows  some  thin,  dark-colored  intiltrations  of  iron  and 
manganese  oxides. 

No.  1.  Soil  from  heavy  timbered  land,  southern  part  of 
Ballard  county,  between  the  waters  of  Bowles  and  west 
branch  of  Mayfield  creeks. 

No.  218.  Subsoil  of  heavily  timbered  land,  southern  part 
of  Ballard  county.  Contained  some  particles  of  iron  ore. 

No.  2061.  Surface  Soil  from  the  farm  of  L.  M.  Flournoy, 
three  miles  from  Paducah,  McCracken  county.  Taken  to  the 
depth  of  eight  inches.  Forest  growth,  mostly  oaks  of  various 
species,  with  some  hickories,  etc.  The  corn  crop  averages 
twenty-five  to  forty  bushels  per  acre.  It  is  good  tobacco 
soil,  and  considered  an  average  soil  of  the  county. 

No.  2062.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding,  etc. 

No.  206:^.  Under-clay  of  the  two  preceding  sods,  etc. 
(Sand  beneath  this.) 

No.  2769.  Virgin  Brown  Loam  Soil;  New  Hope  Church; 
south-west  corner  of  McCracken  county.  Sample  taken  to 
the  depth  of  six  inches.  Timber,  white  and  red  oaks,  hickory, 
dogwood  and  sassafras. 

No.  2770.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Taken  at  the 
depth  of  from  six  to  twelve  inches.  Contained  a little  bog 
iron  ore. 

No.  2629.  Virgin  Upland  Soil,  five  miles  east  of  Murray, 
Calloway  county,  Taken  to  the  depth  of  ten  inches.  The 
soil  is  dark  for  one  inch,  and  then  a light  brown  loam,  to 
the  subsoil.  Growth,  red  oak  chiefly,  some  post  oak  and 
hickory.  Contained  a small  quantity  of  bog  iron  ore. 

No.  2630.  Virgin  Upland  Sandy  Loam  Soil  of  the  “Coal- 
ings” of  the  south  east  corner  of  Calloway  county.  Taken 
to  the  depth  of  six  inches.  Original  growth,  red,  black, 
Spanish  and  post  oaks,  and  hickory.  Contained  a little  small 
bog  iron  ore. 

No.  2631.  Subsoil  of  the  next  preceding.  Taken  to  the 
depth  of  between  six  and  twelve  inches.  Small  quantity  of 
small  bog  iron  ore  contained  in  it. 


OAK  AND  HICKORY  UPLANDS. 


170 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


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OAK  AND  HICKORY  HFLANDS. 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON  S PURCIIASK  REGION, 


171 


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172 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


The  average  of  composition  of  tlie  soils  in  the  above  show 
about  .090  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid  and  .192  per  cent,  of 
])otasli,  a very  low  i^ercentage  of  each  for  these  soils.  In 
the  insoluble  silicates  there  is,  however,  an  average  of  about 
one  and  a half  percentage  of  potash,  from  which  source  a 
sufficiency  of  that  substance  might  be  rendered  available  by 
jiroper  methods. 

The  subsoils,  on  the  contrary,  are  fairly  supplied  with  both 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  the  averages  being  respectively 
.155  and  .248  per  cent. 

In  all  of  the  soils  and  subsoils  the  amount  of  lime  is  small, 
almost  a deficiency ; while,  on  the  other  hand,  that  of  mag- 
nesia is  high  in  several  of  them. 


OF  THE  JACKSON'S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


173 


ANTIQUITIES. 

Earthworks  and  ancient  mounds,  which  are  found  so 
abundantly  on  the  Missouri  and  Illinois  shores  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  Ohio  rivers,  occur  also  on  the  Kentucky  shore,  and 
chiefly  upon  the  sharp  spurs  that  reach  out  from  the  high 
bluffs  bordering  the  Mississippi  river  bottom.  These  spurs 
run  to  a point,  and  thus  afforded  a large  degree  of  protection 
by  their  extremely  abrupt  sides,  or  at  least  could  be  easily 
■ defended ; while  at  the  junction  with  the  main  land  or  bluffs 
a line  of  earthworks  or  embankments,  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  very  generally  were  thrown  up  as  a point  of  defense 
against  a foe  approaching  from  that  direction.  It  is  within 
such  inclosures  that  the  mounds  are  now  found. 

Along  the  Ohio  river  and  streams  of  the  interior,  very  few 
have  been  observed.  The  following  detailed  description,  by 
counties,  covers  the  more  important  of  these  remains.  The 
mounds  have  very  generally  been  visited  by  relic  hunters, 
who  do  no  more  than  dig  a hole  or  two  into  the  surface  of 
each,  after  first  probing  with  a sharp  iron  instrument.  Many 
relics  have  been  gathered  and  carried  away ; but  a systematic 
and  careful  examination  would,  doubtless,  greatly  reward  the 
searcher,  for  not  only  relics,  but  for  information  regarding 
the  life  history  of  this  ancient  people. 

Fulton  County. — There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the 
bluffs  at  Hickman  were  once  the  scene  of  Indian  life  and  set- 
tlement, for  we  find  many  remnants  of  earthworks  thrown  up 
by  them.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  bluff  portion  of  the 
town,  and  not  far  from  the  Methodist  Church,  are  numerous 
small  excavations,  bordered  by  circular  ridges  about  fifteen 
feet  in  diameter,  and  two  or  three  feet  deep  in  the  center,  evi- 
dently the  site  of  wigwams.  They  lie  in  two  rows,  and  I am 
told  once  extended  nearly  two  hundred  yards,  but  have  been 
effaced  by  the  erection  of  buildings  and  by  other  recent  im- 
provements on  the  ridge.  The  rows  are  about  fifty  feet  apart, 
and  the  circles  about  twenty  feet  from  each  other.  Back 
of  the  main  rows  are  a few  scattering  circles.  Pieces  of 
baked  clay,  pottery,  etc.,  have  been  picked  up  on  the  place. 

On  the  bluffs,  south,  about  three-quarters  of  a mile,  have 
been  found  skeleton  remains,  human  teeth,  bones,  etc.,  and 
these  are  still  being  exposed  by  the  sliding  in  of  the  bluffs. 


174 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


The  most  interesting  locality,  however,  is  that  of  an  ancient 
fortification  or  earthworks,  situated  about  a mile  north- east 
of  Hickman,  a short  distance  from  the  railroad  on  the  north 
side,  and  on  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  and  Bayou  de  Chien 
bottoms.  These  bluffs  are  here  about  seventy-five  feet  high, 
and  quite  abrupt,  and  gradually  slope  eastward  for  a short 
distance  to  a flat  area,  which  is  intersected  by  a branch  or  deep 
ravine  running  northward  to  the  Bayou  de  Chien.  A sketch 
of  the  earthworks  is  given  below.  It  represents  a large  in- 
closure of  about  two  acres,  extending  southeastward  nearly 
to  the  branch,  when  it  is  abruptly  narrowed  for  six  hundred 
feet  further.  The  low  elevation  that  borders  it  on  the  south 
for  about  five  hundred  feet  is  now  partly  plowed  down  in 
the  cultivated  field  that  lies  along  the  bluff,  and  is  somewhat 
broken  in  the  fiat  until  it  turns  northeastward,  where  it  is 
very  prominent.  While  it  would  in  itself  be  scarcely  recog- 
nized as  a line  of  earthworks  by  any  person  passing  over  it, 
yet  when  the  other  and  prominent  lines  are  followed  and 
outlined,  its  own  connection  is  clearly  seen.  Its  course  is 
N.  50  W.  or  parallel  with  the  other  sides,  and  has  a width 
of  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  much  worn  away  by  drainage  of  the 
slope.  When  near  the  branch  it  turns  due  east  for  about 
fifty-five  feet,  and  then  N.  40  E.  for  about  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  feet,  to  a mound  somewhat  higher. 

On.  the  north  side  of  the  inclosure  another  line  of  earth- 
works appears  parallel  with  the  one  on  the  south,  but  begin- 
ning about  half  way  between  the  bluff  and  branch.  It  is 
very  regular  and  unbroken  for  about  one  hundred  and  ninety 
feet,  when  it  turns  S.  60  E.  for  nearly  fifty  feet,  and  thence 
S.  40  W.  for  about  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  to  another 
mound  within  about  ninety-five  feet  of  the  former  one.  This 
ridge  is  also  prominent  and  broad;  the  mounds  are  about 
twenty-five  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  them  two  parallel  lines 
of  earthworks  turn  S.  40  E.  for  six  hundred  feet.  They  are 
high  and  wide,  and  lying,  as  they  do,  in  a fiat  cultivated  field, 
are  very  prominent.  Their  width  is  about  twenty  feet.  On 
the  south-east  they  turn  towards  each  other  and  terminate, 
leaving  an  opening  of  about  twenty-five  feet.  This  was  pro- 
tected on  the  interior  by  a large  mound  45x35  feet  and  higher 
than  the  earthworks,  leaving  but  a very  narrow  opening. 


OF  THE  JACKSON  S PUKCIIASE  UEOION, 


175 


Tlie  bniiicli  that  crosses  these  narrow  inclosures  is  fifty 
feet  wide  and  about  fifteen  feet  deep,  its  banks  very  steep 
and  abrupt.  Within  the  large  inclosure  there  is  a small 
mound  about  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  directly  in  front  of 
the  opening  to  the  narrow  fort,  and  at  a distance  of  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet. 

For  drainage  inirposes,  apparently,  a deep  and  narrow 
ditch  was  dug  from  either  corner  of  the  large  inclosure  to 
the  branch. 


large  inclosure  was  presumably  occupied  by  the  tribe  as  a 


176 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


habitation,  for  fragments  of  pottery  are  very  abundant,  espe- 
cially near  the  top  of  the  bluff.  It  was  protected  by  the 
steep  bluffs  and  by  the  earthworks  against  small  forces ; 
but  in  an  emergency,  or  against  overwhelming  numbers, 
the  tribe  could  retreat  into  the  narrow  inclosure,  and  with 
a deep  ditch  at  one  end  and  a protected  gateway  at  the 
other,  could  better  defend  themselves.  An  earthen  headless 
image,  found  in  this  place,  was  presented  to  the  museum  by 
C.  W.  Bryant,  of  Hickman. 

Another  group  of  mounds  occurs  in  the  bottom  of  Bayou 
de  Chien,  five  miles  east  of  Hickman,  on  the  place  of  Lewis 
Lumsford.  The  position  of  the  group  is  represented  in  the 
following  cut. 

The  mounds  are  located  on  a low  elevation  or  plateau  about 
ten  feet  above  the  bottom  land,  which  extends  out  from  the 
uj)lands  one-fourth  of  a mile  distant.  The  plateau  is  cut  in 
two,  however,  by  a narrow  portion  of  the  bottom,  leaving  a 
section  of  about  five  hundred  feet  in  length  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  width,  which  was  selected  as  a site 
for  the  mounds. 

There  are  three  prominent  mounds  and  several  smaller 
ones.  The  most  southerly  of  the  large  ones  is  twenty  feet 
high,  rectangular  in  shape,  85x50  in  surface  measurement, 
its  greatest  length  being  east  and  west.  Its  sides  are  very 
abrupt  and  the  top  level.  Pieces  of  burnt  and  unburnt 
clay  were  dug  from  the  surface,  the  mound  having  been,  in 
part  at  least,  used  probably  for  the  manufacture  of  pottery. 

The  other  rectangular  mound,  lying  nearly  due  north  from 
this,  has  a surface  area  of  55x50  feet,  its  greatest  length 
being  N.  60  E.  North-east  from  this  mound  is  a circular  one 
about  fifty  feet  diameter  on  top  and  fifteen  feet  high.  It  is 
immediately  on  the  bank  of  Bayou  de  Chien,  and  is  connected 
with  the  larger  mound  by  a low  elevation  some  five  feet 
higher  than  the  jilateau. 

Three  small  and  low  mounds  lie  on  the  east  of  the  low  in- 
terior, two  of  them  being  round  and  twenty-five  and  fifty 
feet  in  diameter,  respectively,  the  other  being  about  forty 
feet  square. 

On  the  southwestern  edge  of  the  plateau  another  large 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  pukciiase  keoion. 


177 


and  rounded  mound  ten  feet  high  and  forty  feet  in  diameter 
occurs. 


On  tlie  southern  edge  are  large  numbers  of  excavations 
rounded,  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  diameter. 


Indian  Mounds  on  Bayou  de  Chien,  five  miles  east  of  Hickman,  Fulton  county. 


Isolated  mounds  occur  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  A 
very  large  one  occupies  the  north-east  point  of  Sassafras 
ridge,  in  the  Mississippi  river  bottom,  at  the  foot  of  Fish 
Lake.  It  is  about  twenty  feet  high,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  in  length,  N.  20  E.,  and  65  feet  in  breadth.  One  side 
has  largely  been  dug  down  by  parties  in  search  for  relics. 

GEOL.  SUR. — 12. 


178 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


A small  mound  lies  near  it  on  the  east,  and  another  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  distant  on  the  south-west,  both 
about  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  low. 

Fragments  of  pottery  are  abundant,  some  of  them  being 
of  vessels  that  had  notches  chipped  in  on  the  edge,  and 
others  marked  thus  a y a y a y 

Hickman  County. — At  McLeod’s  Bluff,  on  Obion  creek, 
south  of  Columbus,  there  is  a large  mound,  fifteen  feet  in 
height,  rounded  in  form,  with  a diameter  of  about  seventy- 
five  feet.  The  surface  is  quite  level,  and  is  at  present  used 
as  a grave-yard.  Between  it  and  the  edge  of  the  bluff  there 
is  another  small  mound  but  a few  feet  high  and  about  ten 
feet  in  diameter. 

The  soil  here  has  that  deep  rich  character  so  usual  around 
mounds,  and  beneath  it  at  the  edge  of  the  bluff  are  fre- 
quently exposed  pieces  of  pottery  and  charcoal,  and  bones 
and  teeth,  not  only  of  men,  but  of  small  animals.  The  pot- 
tery is  made  partly  of  blue  clay  and  sand,  and  smoothly 
baked,  while  other  pieces  are  still  in  the  crude  condition, 
and  made  with  black  clay. 

The  bluff  fronts  Obion  creek  on  the  south  for  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  while  on  the  west  its  edge  extends 
back  along  the  Mississippi  bottom,  and  on  the  other  side 
along  a branch  bottom  for  some  fifteen  hundred  or  more 
feet.  The  mounds  are  thus  situated  on  an  off-shoot  from 
the  main  upland,  though  at  a much  lower  elevation  above 
the  river  bottom.  At  about  six  hundred  feet  from  the 
front  there  is  a low  elevation,  as  if  thrown  up  artificially 
for  protection  against  an  approach  from  the  interior  of  the 
uj)lands.  It  is  about  four  feet  high,  but  slopes  so  gradually 
inward  as  not  to  attract  immediate  attention  from  any  one 
passing.  Its  outer  slope  is  abrupt.  The  line,  as  in  similar 
groups  of  mounds  on  the  river  bluffs  in  Ballard  county, 
forms  an  obtuse  angle  with  apex  outward,  one  side  run- 
ning thence  southward  on  one  side  for  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet,  and  on  the  other  for  about  65  feet 
N.  50  E. 

On  the  bluff  back  or  east  from  the  Chalk  Banks  there  are 


OF  tup:  Jackson’s  purciiasp:  rpxuon.  179 

several  mounds,  some  distance  from  each  other,  and  near  the 
brow  of  the  bluff. 

Mr.  AV.  J.  Kerr,  who  has  lived  here  sixty  years,  informs 
me  that  the  outlines  of  an  old  fort  or  inclosure  were  once 
very  distinct  on  this  bluff ; but  since  the  land  has  been 
cleared  and  cultivated  the  old  earthworks  have  been  obliter- 
ated. It  reached  eastward  from  near  the  brow  of  the  bluff 
for  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  or  two  hundred  yards,  the 
eight  acres  inclosed  being  surrounded  by  an  elevation  three 
or  four  feet  high,  the  eastern  side  being  at  right-angles  to 
the  others.  At  each  corner  a low  mound  was  raised. 

On  the  south  side  another  or  inside  line  of  earthworks  was 
thrown  up  about  ninety  feet  from  the  first,  and  parallel  with 
it  from  the  bluff  eastward. 

In  the  portion  nearest  the  bluff  numerous  small  excava- 
tions in  the  surface  are  observable,  and  fragments  of  pottery 
are  very  plentiful.  The  mounds  are  mostly  round,  not  very 
high,  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  The  one  on 
the  south-west  is  oblong,  30x50  feet. 

At  a point  of  the  bluff  southward,  just  beyond  where  the 
Chalk  Banks  terminate,  and  where  the  road  turns  to  Mr. 
Kerr’s  house,  very  many  human  bones  have  been  exposed 
below  the  surface  by  the  wearing  away  of  the  bluff. 

A number  of  relics,  chiefly  Hint  and  stone  imirlements, 
have  been  found  in  this  locality.  The  most  interesting  is  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Kerr.  It  is  made  from  quartz,  in  part 
amethystine,  and  seems  intended  to  represent  a hen  in  sitting 
posture,  a hole  being  drilled  through  the  head  in  place  of 
eyes.  In  size,  it  is  hardly  an  inch  long  and  half  an  inch 
in  height. 

On  the  bluffs  between  Obion  creek  and  Bayou  de  Chien 
there  are  several  small  mounds,  isolated  and  of  no  special 
importance.  Lying  near  the  foot  of  these  bluffs,  and  con- 
necting the  two  streams,  there  is  a slough,  known  as  “the 
Lake,”  and  thought  by  some  to  have  been  dug  artificially  to 
connect  the  mounds  on  McLeod’s  bluff  with  those  near  the 
.mouth  of  Mud  creek  on  the  Bayou  de  Chien,  in  Fulton 
county. 

As  seen  near  the  road  leading  from  Clinton  to  Hickman, 


180 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATUKES 


“the  Lake”  presents  an  irregular  and  crooked  outline,  with 
banks  about  seventy-five  feet  apart  and  fifteen  feet  deep. 
Several  smaller  sloughs  connect  with  it.  Its  banks,  both  here 
and  on  Bayou  de  Chien,  are  sharply  defined,  as  are  also 
those  of  the  large  streams.  It  joins  the  Bayou  de  Chien 
but  a short  distance  below  the  grouji  of  mounds,  but  on  the 
Obion  its  junction  is  more  than  half  a mile  below  McLeod’s 
bluff.  There  is  not  evidence  sufficient  to  show  that  it  is 
any  thing  more  than  a natural  slough. 

Ballard  County. — In  this  county,  which  is  bordered  by  a 
larger  river  front  than  any  other  county  of  the  Purchase 
region,  there  are  probably  also  a greater  number  of  Indian 
mounds  and  earthworks,  and  they  are  for  the  most  part 
located  upon  the  sharp  spurs  that  reach  out  from  the  bluff 
facing  the  Mississippi  river  bottom. 

Going  north  from  the  Hickman  county  line,  the  first 
locality  of  importance  and  prominence  is  upon  one  of  these 
spurs,  forming  the  south  bluff  of  Sandy  creek,  and  two  miles 
south  of  Laketon,  and  whose  summit  is  about  ninety  feet 
above  the  river  bottom  plain. 

On  entering  this  spur  from  inland  we  first  pass  through 
an  old  field,  now  in  cultivation,  for  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  to  a point  where  the  spur  is  cut  into  from  either 
side,  leaving  a width  of  only  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  Here  we  find  the  fence  perched  upon  a low  line  of 
earthworks  which  are  worn  down  to  but  about  five  feet  in 
elevation,  and  with  a width  of  about  fifteen  feet,  connect- 
ing the  two  points  of  indenture.  Beginning  on  the  west, 
the  earthworks  have  a direct  east  course  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  when  they  turn  north-east  to  other  edge  of 
the  bluff,  a distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet,  with  three  different  courses,  that  of  the  first  forty 
feet  is  N.  60  E.,  the  next  fifty  feet  is  N.  45  E.,  and  the 
next  thirty-five  feet  is  N.  30  E.  There  are  no  excavations 
along  this  line  to  indicate  from  whence  the  dirt  was  obtained 
for  this  work. 

Within  this  inclosure  the  summit  of  this  spur  widens  to 
about  three  hundred  feet,  and  is  again  abruptly  narrowed 
to  thr<ie  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  by  deep  indentations 


OF  TIIK  .IACKSON’S  I’URCTIASE  REGION. 


181 


on  either  side,  at  which  point  is  a rounded  mound  now 
about  six  feet  higli  and  forty  feet  in  diameter.  This  is  tlie 
only  mound  observed  upon  this  portion  of  the  ridge.  Be- 
tween it  and  tlie  embankment  already  described,  the  surface 
is  quite  level  and  timbered.  Going  northward  still  further, 
the  ridge  is  seen  to  continue  for  about  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet,  when  it  is  suddenly  narrowed  to  a number  of 
sharp  points,  sinking  about  ten  feet,  but  all  bordered  by 
very  abrupt  and  deep  slopes  to  the  bottom  below. 


Ancient  Fortification  upon  a spur  of  the  south  blufi  of  Sandy  creek,  two  miles  south 
of  Laketon,  Ballard  county,  one-fourth  of  a mile  from  M.  & O.  R.  R. 

Another  and  more  interesting  group  of  mounds  are  located 
upon  another  of  these  bluff  spurs  about  half  way  between 
Laketon  and  Mayfield  creek,  or  where  the  Punckney  Bend 


182 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


road  enters  the  Mississippi  bottom  from  the  east,  and  on  the 
land  of  Dr.  Wm.  Graves. 


Indian  Fortification  and  Mounds  on  a spur  of  bluffs  near  the  Punckney  Bend  road, 
south  of  the  mouth  of  Mayfield  creek,  Ballard  county. 

The  space  in  the  center  is  low  and  flat,  with  a very  rich  soil. 

The  numbers  represent  diameters  of,  and  distances  between,  mounds. 

The  spur  is  somewhat  lower  than  the  main  bluff  ridge,  and 
projects  nearly  westward  from  it  for  a distance  of  a couple 
of  hundred  yards,  bordered  on  either  side  by  deep  canon- 


OF  TIIK  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


183 


like  ravines,  to  the  bottoms  of  wliicli  the  descent  is  very 
abrupt.  At  tlie  point  of  the  spur  there  is  a very  narrow  off- 
shoot, which,  with  a curving  course,  slopes  to  the  lowlands 
beneatli,  and  seems  to  have  been  once  used  as  an  easy  means 
of  reaching  the  river  from  the  bluff ; for  there  is  a deeply 
worn  path  along  its  summit.  The  spur  has  a width  varying 
from  fifty  to  five  hundred  feet. 

On  going  out  on  the  spur  from  the  bluff  ridge  there  is  a 
gentle  slope  to  a point  where  lateral  denudation  has  left  a 
very  narrow  summit,  and  here  are  found  the  first  evidences  of 
artificial  earthworks.  As  shown  on  the  diagram,  these  are  in 
the  form  of  an  embankment,  presenting  an  irregular  front 
to  the  east,  about  five  feet  in  elevation.  The  irregularity  is 
caused  by  three  bastion -like  extensions,  each  about  ten  feet 
wide,  and  reaching  out,  respectively,  nine,  eighteen  and  nine 
feet,  their  fronts  and  sides,  and  also  the  front  of  the  em- 
bankment between  them,  being  quite  steep.  The  central 
projection  has,  during  the  past  few  years,  been  leveled  or 
cut  down,  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  teams  into  the  interior. 
From  the  brow  of  this  line  of  earthworks  the  surface  is 
quite  level  for  about  forty  feet  to  the  first  mound,  and  thence 
to  the  interior  of  the  mound-area  there  is  a gentle  slope. 

As  shown  in  the  diagram,  there  are  three  large  mounds, 
with  eight  or  more  smaller  ones.  The  first  of  the  former  (C), 
situated  about  fifty  feet  from  the  earthworks,  already  de- 
scribed, is  round,  and  has  a diameter  of  about  thirty  feet 
and  an  elevation  of  about  twenty  feet.  A tall  beech  tree, 
three  feet  in  diameter,  stands  upon  it.  An  excavation  in  its 
top,  by  relic  hunters,  some  years  ago,  exposed  jneces  of  bone, 
earthenware,  and  some  galena.  Between  it  and  the  brow  of 
the  ridge  on  the  north  are  two  small  mounds  several  feet  in 
height,  and  with  diameters  of  about  fifteen  feet.  Around 
them  are  small  excavations  as  if  for  the  material  for  the 
mounds. 

In  a N.  60  W.  course  from  the  first  mound,  and  at  a dis- 
tance of  about  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  there  is  another 
peculiarly  constructed  mound  (B)  about  twenty  feet  high, 
twenty-five  feet  wide,  and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  long.  It  is  near  the  western  margin  of  the  ridge;  it  has 


184 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


a nearly  east  and  west  course,  its  northern  side  being  in 
nearly  a straight  line,  its  southern  side  having  a concave 
outline,  its  ends  rounded,  perhaps  by  erosion ; upon  each 
end  is  perched  a mound  about  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter, 
and  a few  feet  high.  The  surface  of  this  large  mound  is 
otherwise  quite  level ; a few  pieces  of  pottery  were  picked  up 
on  it. 

Lying  at  nearly  a right-angle  to  the  west  end  of  this  is 
the  third  large  mound  (A),  with  the  same  elevation,  a length 
north  and  south  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  a top  width  of  for- 
ty-five feet.  The  surface  is  quite  level,  with  the  exception  of 
a small  mound  on  the  north  end,  which  seems  to  have  been 
the  scene  of  pottery  manufacture,  as  fragments  of  burnt  and 
unburnt  moulded  pieces  were  found  mixed  in  its  earth  with 
pieces  of  charcoal.  The  form  of  this  large  mound  was  ap- 
parently originally  a rectangle,  with  its  corners  beveled,  the 
inner  sides  still  retaining  that  form,  while  the  outer  or 
westerly  sides  are  rounded. 

The  space  between  the  ends  of  these  two  large  mounds  is 
protected  on  the  outside  by  a smaller  mound,  some  twenty 
feet  in  diameter  and  ten  in  height,  rounded  in  form. 

The  group  thus  described  forms  the  ends  and  northern  side 
of  a space  doubtless  occupied  by  the  tribe,  while  on  the 
south  side  is  a row  of  smaller  mounds,  the  largest  of  which 
is  about  thirty  by  twenty  feet  on  its  surface,  and  having 
an  elevation  of  about  six  feet. 

The  area  thus  inclosed  is  low  and  flat,  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty- five  feet  wide  by  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet 
long,  and  with  a very  rich  black  loam  soil,  much  richer  than 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  ridge — a feature  characteristic  of  the 
soil  bordering  the  mounds  of  other  localities.  Near  the 
western  end  there  is  a deep  excavation,  now  filled-in  to 
within  a few  feet  of  the  surface. 

To  the  west  of  this,  and  outside  of  the  inclosure,  are  two 
other  but  smaller  mounds,  but  ten  feet  in  diameter  and  a 
few  feet  high. 

Proceeding  northward  along  the  bluffs,  we  find  another 
group  of  mounds  on  the  high  bluffs,  immediately  north  of 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  ruuciiASK  region. 


185 


WicklifTe,  and  here  also  occupying  a spur  running  out  in  a 
south-west  course  from  the  bluff,  but  at  a lower  level. 


The  surface  is,  for  the  most  part,  quite  even,  sloping 
gently  from  the  main  bluff  to  about  sixty  feet  above  the 
railroad,  and  is  bordered  by  very  abrupt  slopes  to  the  deep 
ravines  and  bottom  lands  of  the  river.  At  one  point  near 
the  bluff,  on  the  north  side,  a ravine  cuts  deeply  into  the 
spur,  leaving  to  the  latter  a width  of  a little  more  than 
one  hundred  feet,  and  across  this,  as  on  the  spur  south  of 
Mayfield  creek,  there  is  a low  line  of  earthworks,  as  if  for 
protection  against  an  approach  from  the  bluff. 


Indian  Mounds 
on  spur  of  bluffs  at 
Wickliffe,  Ballard  Co. 


186 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


A low  mound  occupies  an  almost  central  place  on  this 
narrow  point,  and  from  it  the  embankment  reaches  for  sev- 
enty-five feet  in  a N.  80  W.  course  on  the  one  side,  to  the 
point  of  the  penetrating  ravine,  and  in  a S.  20  E.  course 
to  fhe  opposite  side  of  the  spur.  These  embankments  are 
now  but  two  or  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  spur. 
The  mound  is  a little  higher.  The  entire  line  is  so  nearly 
worn  down  that  at  first  it  would  not  attract  the  notice  of 
any  one  passing. 

Within  that  part  of  the  spur  thus  inclosed  there  are  two 
large  mounds  which  occupy  the  center,  and  seven  or  more 
large  ones  arranged  around  these,  and  near  the  border  of 
the  ridge. 

Going  inward  from  the  earthworks  just  described,  we  first 
come  to  a small  mound  some  twenty  feet  in  diameter  and 
four  or  five  feet  high.  Next,  and  almost  in  the  center,  is  a 
large  mound  forty  feet  square,  its  sides  lying  with  the  car- 
dinal points  of  the  compass.  Its  summit  is  quite  level,  and 
about  fifteen  feet  above  the  general  surface.  About  sixty- 
five  feet  from  this,  and  also  occupying  a central  and  more 
westerly  point,  lies  the  other  high  mound.  Its  elevation  is 
about  fifteen  feet,  its  length  eighty  feet  S.  25  W.,  and  width 
about  fifty  feet.  Its  ends  are  rather  rounded  in  form,  that 
of  the  east  sinking  abruptly  to  a lower  prong,  reaching  out 
thirty-five  feet,  and  with  not  more  than  half  the  width  of 
the  mound. 

The  outlines  of  the  spur  of  the  bluff,  the  relative  sizes 
and  positions  of  the  mounds,  etc.,  are  represented  in  the 
accompanying  diagram.  Numerous  small  excavations  occur 
in  the  surface  of  the  spur.  Upon  one  of  the  mounds  stand 
two  trees — a poplar,  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  a beech, 
nearly  three  feet. 

In  a search  made  by  digging  a small  hole  into  the  central 
part  of  the  largest  mound,  by  relic-hunters,  some  mussel 
shells  and  pieces  of  charcoal  were  obtained. 

On  the  extreme  summit  of  the  bluffs  there  are  two  small 
mounds,  some  ten  feet  or  more  in  diameter,  and  three  or  four 
feet  high. 

Leaving  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  and  following  the 


OK  TiiK  Jackson’s  purchase  region. 


187 


Ohio,  we  find  in  the  bottom,  a mile  from  the  banks  of  the 
hitter,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  near  Terrell’s 
Landing,  opposite  Mound  City,  Illinois,  a couple  of  large 
mounds.  They  are  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  a slough, 
and  are  more  or  less  rounded,  except  on  the  sides  nearly 
facing  each  other.  One  of  them  has  a surface  area  of  for- 
ty-five by  forty-five  feet,  and  is  about  twelve  feet  high.  A 
negro  cabin  is  perched  upon  it,  and  cultivated  fields  extend 
to  eastward  and  southward  from  its  foot.  There  are  several 
red  oak  trees,  each  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  growing  on 
its  summit. 

The  other  mound  lies  about  seventy-five  feet  distant  in  a 
south-west  course,  the  two  connected  by  an  elevation  about 
six  feet  above  the  bottom  land,  and  about  forty-five  feet  in 
width. 

The  second  mound  is  also  nearly  rounded  in  form,  and  its 
level  surface  is  about  eighteen  feet  above  the  base,  or  twenty- 
five  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  slough,  and  twenty-five  feet 
wide.  It  also  has  a large  tree  growing  on  the  summit. 
Fragments  of  jjottery  and  pieces  of  flint  are  abundant  on 
both  mounds.  It  is  said  that  relic-hunters,  by  digging,  a 
few  years  ago,  found  a piece  of  galena  and  a few  earthern 
vessels  in  the  highest  of  the  mounds. 

During  high-water  overflows  from  the  river,  these  elevated 
points  are  used  as  places  of  refuge  for  stock ; the  sides  and 
summits  are  much  worn  away. 

Foot-prints  in  Sandstone. — A locality  of  very  special  in- 
terest occurs  a couple  of  miles  north-east  of  Wickliffe,  in 
the  bed  of  a small  branch  emptying  into  Cane’  creek  from 
the  north,  and  on  the  place  of  Mrs.  R.  Burns.  In  the  bed 
of  this  branch  is  a broad  sandstone,  reddish  in  color,  its 
surface  somewhat  uneven  from  the  action  of  water  running 
over  it,  and  covering  an  extent  of  about  twenty  feet  in  length. 
In  its  width  it  is  exposed  for  only  about  six  feet,  being  cov- 
ered in  the  valley  to  the  west  by  the  washings  from  the  hill- 
side. 

The  hills  rise  about  forty  feet  above  this  rock,  and  are 
formed  of  Quaternary  silt,  loam  and  gravel — the  rock  disap- 
pearing beneath  them.  Upon  the  surface  of  the  sandstone 


188 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


are  easily  traced  human  foot-prints  and  large  bird  tracks, 
in  some  cases  deeply  indented  one-lialf  inch,  with  the  con- 
formation of  the  bottom  of  the  foot  and  toes ; in  others  but 
shallow  imprints,  oue-eighth  of  an  inch  deep,  in  which  the 
toes  do  not  appear,  and  in  which  there  is  lacking  the  bare- 
foot feature,  indicating  rather  a moccasined  foot.  The  tracks 
are  in  every  direction  and  position,  the  stream  flowing  across 
them  in  a northward  course. 

A peculiarity  of  the  imprints  is  in  the  fact  that  all  but 
three  are  of  the  left  foot. 

In  some  cases  the  toes  are  deeply  indented,  while  the  rest 
of  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  shallow ; sometimes  the  space  be- 
tween the  toes  is  filled. 

A sketch  showing  the  position  and  size  of  each  foot  was 
made  by  means  of  tracing  linen  and  pencil ; and  is  given 
below  in  a form  reduced  by  photography.  The  outer  lines 
mark  the  extreme  limits,  while  the  interior  lines  indicate 
the  deepest  portion  of  the  track. 

The  rock  is  several  feet  thick,  reaches  across  the  branch 
and  into  the  opposite  bank  on  the  east.  Upon  the  latter 
portion  a large  bird  track  was  seen,  and  also  what  seems  to 
be  a part  of  a human  foot-print. 

The  following  are  the  measurements  and  peculiarities  of 
each  track,  as  numbered  in  the  accompanying  photographic 
print : 

No.  1.  Right  foot.  Central  impression  deep,  with  sloping 
sides,  and  showing  a clear  outline  of  the  instep.  The  toe 
impressions  are  very  faint,  and  only  in  the  lowest  depression, 
and  sink  a little  below  its  surface.  Extreme  length,  Ilf 
inches;  spread  of  toes,  5|  inches.  The  foot  was  apparently 
moccasined,  the  toes  having  nearly  worn  through.  The  outer 
line  shows  the  edge  of  the  moccasin. 

No.  2.  Lett  foot,  the  probable  mate  of  No.  1.  The  toes 
not  so  apparent,  but  still  discernible.  Instep  shallow;  heel 
and  ball  of  foot  deeper,  as  indicated  in  the  sketch.  Also 
covered  by  a moccasin.  Extreme  length,  llj  inches ; heel,  2J 
inches ; and  spread  of  toes,  6 inches. 

No.  3.  Right  foot  of  a child.  Deep  impression  of  foot 
and  toes ; that  of  the  two  smallest  toes  combined.  Length, 
inches ; heel,  2 inches ; toes,  3 inches. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  PURCHASE  REGION. 


189 


No.  4.  Left  foot  highly  deformed.  Impression  distinct; 
big  toe  projected ; second  and  third  absent  in  imprint. 
Length,  7 inches ; heel,  2 inches ; toes,  3|  inches,  the  balls 
sinking  deeply. 


Foot-prints  in  Sandstone  near  Wicklifife,  Kentucky. 


190 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


No.  5.  Left  foot,  probably  with  moccasin;  deep  impres- 
sion, with  no  toes ; sloping  inward  on  all  sides  to  the  inner 
depression.  Length, -9  inches;  heel,  3 inches;  toes,  4J  inches. 

No.  6.  Left  foot,  with  irregular  toe  impressions.  The  heel 
deeply,  and  rest  of  foot  shallowly  impressed,  except  the  big 
toe,  which  sinks  deeply.  Length,  9 inches ; heel,  inches ; 
toes,  4i  inches ; spaces  between  the  toes  but  slightly  raised. 

No.  7.  Right  foot ; very  broad,  but  shallow  impression, 
deepest  near  the  heel ; toes  run  together.  Length,  inches ; 
heel  and  toes,  each,  3|  inches. 

No.  8.  Left  foot;  shallow  impression,  but  deeper  heel; 
the  toes  distinct,  but  imprints  widely  separated,  and  the  sand 
filling  the  intervening  spaces  apparently  removed  Length,  11 
inches  ; heel,  inches ; toes,  6 inches. 

No.  9.  Left  foot,  with  moccasin.  Impression  shallow,  with 
slope  from  outer  to  inner  line ; foot  broad,  but  heel  very 
narrow.  Length,  8^  inches ; heel,  2J  inches ; toes,  5 inches. 

No.  10.  Left  foot,  deep  impression,  sloping  upward  at 
edges;  toes  widely  separated,  and  not  very  distinct,  except 
the  largest ; sand  between  toes  not  removed ; no  instep.  Ex- 
treme length,  12  inches ; heel,  3J  inches ; toes,  inches. 
Inside  length.  8|  inches ; heel,  2J  inches ; toes,  4 inches.  Big 
toe,  outside  length,  2J  inches ; width,  If  inches.  Big  toe, 
inside  length,  1§  inches ; width,  IJ  inches. 

No.  11.  Shallow  impression,  but  toes  deeply  impressed. 
Length,  lOj  inches ; heel,  3 inches ; toes,  5^  inches ; big  toe, 
2 by  \\  inches. 

Nos.  12  and  13.  Shallow  impression ; heels  a little  deeper ; 
toes  apparently  hid  beneath  the  thin  ledge  on  which  are 
the  other  foot-prints. 

No.  14.  Right  foot ; shallow  impression,  but  heel  a little 
deeper;  toe  imprints  either  lost  by  the  breaking  off  of  the 
rock,  or  by  the  foot  reaching  beyond  the  edge.  It  lies  a 
little  above  No.  15. 

No.  15.  Left  foot;  shallow  impression,  but  heel  and  toes 
deeper.  It  is  upon  the  lower  surface  with  12  and  13,  and 
below  the  large  body  of  foot-prints.  Length,  lOJ  inches ; 
width  of  heel,  3 inches ; toes,  5J  inches ; big  toe,  2 by  1^ 
inches. 


OF  THE  JACKSON’S  FURCIIASE  REGION. 


191 


No.  16.  Left  foot ; sliallow  impression  of  the  foot,  but  the 
toes  deeply  depressed.  Length  of  foot,  9 inches ; spread  of 
toes,  0 indies  ; width  of  heel,  3 inches. 

No.  17.  Bird  track ; deep  impression  ; the  back  toe  over- 
lapping the  foot  imprint  No.  1.  Spread  of  toes,  5^  inches ; 
length  of  toes,  3 inches. 

No.  18.  Bird  track.  Spread  of  toes,  inches ; length  of 
toes,  inches. 

No.  19.  Bird  track;  deep  impression;  back  toe  absent. 
Spread  of  toes,  4^  inches ; center  toe,  3J  inches,  and  side  toes, 
3 inches  long. 

No.  20.  Bird  track ; only  three  toes  appear.  Spread, 
inches ; length  of  middle  toe,  6^  inches  ; side  toes,  5 and  4 
inches. 

The  foot-prints  seem  to  be  naturally  formed  by  the  direct 
imprint  of  the  feet  in  the  slightly  yielding  Quaternary  sand, 
before  the  latter  was  hardened  into  a rock  by  the  permea- 
tion of  iron  oxide,  the  cementing  material.  These  sand- 
stones are,  in  other  localities,  even  in  this  day,  in  process  of 
formation,  wherever  the  sands  and  gravel  of  the  Quaternary 
gravel-beds  are  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  we'ather.  A 
very  great  antiquity,  therefore,  can  not  be  claimed  for  these 
tracks — at  least,  not  more  remote  than  the  mound-builders, 
or  Indians,  whose  mounds  and  earthworks  are  found  upon 
the  Mississippi  river  bluffs,  a mile  or  more  to  westward. 

In  all  the  above  foot  prints  there  is  an  entire  absence  of 
any  thing  like  the  mark  of  an  implement  that  could  be  used 
in  chiseling  them  into  shape. 

McCracken  County. — The  only  mound  visited  in  this  county 
was  that  on  the  place  of  Mr.  McCutclieon,  one  mile  west  of 
Paducah.  It  is  about  fifteen  feet  high,  oblong  in  form,  meas- 
uring about  one  hundred  feet  north  and  south,  and  seventy- 
five  feet  east  and  west.  An  old  and  rotten  stump  on  the 
summit  has  a diameter  of  two  and  one-half  feet.  The 
central  part  of  the  mound  is  a little  concave.  A dwelling- 
house  is  situated  on  it,  the  cellar  of  which  was  dug  through 
three  feet  of  rich  loam  soil,  two  feet  of  white  or  yellow  sand, 
two  feet  of  ashes  and  charcoal  and  clay. 

The  mound  is  surrounded  by  about  six  acres  of  a very 


192 


GEOLOGIOAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


rich,  dark  loam,  three  feet  in  depth,  in  which  were  pieces 
of  mussel  shells.  This  character  of  soil  is  often  a notable 
feature  of  other  mound  surroundings.  The  soil  is  all  under 
cultivation,  and  said  to  yield  seventy-five  barrels  of  potatoes 
per  acre.  Around  the  mound  were  originally  twelve  or  fif- 
teen smaller  ones,  respectively  six  or  seven  feet  high  and 
twenty-five  feet  in  diameter ; but  many  of  them  have  been 
plowed  down,  and  can  scarcely  be  distinguished.  Arrow- 
heads and  fragments  of  pottery  are  abundant,  and  Mr. 
McCutcheon  informs  me  that  a nest  of  five  or  six  nearly 
perfect  vessels  was  plowed  up  in  the  field,  together  with  a 
large  piece  of  stone-coal.  Among  other  things,  the  han- 
dle of  some  vessel,  made  of  a bluish  clay,  about  two  inches 
long,  and  shaped  like  a wrist  and  hand,  with  half  closed 
fingers,  was  found. 

Marshall  County. — In  the  neighborhood  of  Sharp,  in  the 
north-western  part  of  the  county,  there  are  a couple  of  small 
mounds  in  an  old  field,  but  now  nearly  obliterated  by  long- 
continued  cultivation  of  the  latter.  The  field  has  very  many 
fragments  of  mussel  shells,  and  the  soil  immediately  about 
the  mounds  is  very  rich. 

South-east  from  this,  on  the  “Bottom  road,”  between  Ben- 
ton and  Paducah,  and  near  the  crossing  of  Chestnut  creek, 
and  situated  upon  the  uplands  overlooking  the  bottoms  of 
Clark’s  river,  is  a mound  measuring  thirty-five  feet  north  and 
south,  and  twenty-seven  feet  east  and  west.  It  is  rounded 
in  form,  its  surface  slightly  depressed  in  the  center,  and  has 
an  elevation  of  about  six  feet.  Flint  chips  and  fragments 
of  pottery  are  abundant. 

A more  important  locality  is  on  the  place  of  Mr.  W.  F. 
Hinson,  on  Jonathan  creek,  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
There  are  here  three  large  mounds,  grouped  with  four  or 
more  small  ones.  Their  relative  position  is  given  on  the 
following  diagram. 

The  mounds  are  situated  in  a broad  fiat  reaching  south- 
ward from  the  largest  ones.  The  most  southerly  of  the  large 
mounds  has  a trend  of  IM.  80  E.,  and  is  oblong  in  shape, 
with  a length  of  about  one  hundred  and  ten  and  a width 
of  thirty-six  feet.  A little  north-east  from  it  is  an  elevation 


OF  THE  Jackson’s  i’ukchase  region. 


193 


Indian  Mounds  on  the  place  of  Mr.  W.  F.  Hinson,  on  Jonathan  creek,  Marshall 

county,  Kentucky. 


of  peculiar  sliape,  but,  so  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  is 
artiticial.  Its  height  is  fifteen  feet,  and  its  length  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Its  sides  have  the  appearance  of 
having  been  worn  away,  leaving  a sharp  angle  to  westward, 
and  somewhat  concave  sides,  while  the  north  and  south 
ends  are  narrow.  North  east  from  this,  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  and  in  the  bottom  land  of  Jonathan  creek, 
there  is  a very  large  and  high  mound,  rectangular  in  shape, 
and  lying  seventy-five  feet  in  a N.  70  E.,  and  sixty-five  feet 
S.  20  E.  Its  height  is  about  twenty  feet. 


GEOL.  SUE. — 13. 


194 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  FEATURES 


Fragments  of  pottery  are  abundant  in  the  vicinity  of  the- 
mounds;  but,  so  far  as  known,  nothing  of  special  interest 
has  been  found. 

At  Haddock’s  ferry,  on  the  Tennessee  river,  north  of  Cal- 
vert City,  there  are  masses  of  chert  rock  and  fragments 
which  also  form  shoals  in  the  bed  of  the  river  on  the  north 
side.  Upon  one  of  these  rocks,  a few  hundred  yards  above 
the  ferry,  there  are  markings  which  show  age,  and  were, 
perhaps  (or  according  to  the  “oldest  inhabitant”),  made  by 
the  Indians.  Their  form  and  position  are  given  below.  Some 
of  the  characters  are  much  worn  away,  but  the  outlines  are 
distinctly  traceable.  The  surface  of  the  rock  is  rather  un- 
even. 

The  accompanying  tracing  shows  the  relative  size  and  posi- 
tion of  each  of  the  figures. 


OK  TIIK  .IACKSON’S  PUKCIIASK  HK(iION. 


195 


The  uppermost  figure  is  that  of  a boy,  and  is  two  feet 
long.  The  head  round,  five  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter, 
with  eyes  and  mouth  represented  by  small  holes  The  body 
rectangular,  eleven  inches  long  and  live  and  one-half  inches 
wide;  the  ai’ms,  as  straight  lines,  five  inches  long;  the  hands 
as  round  holes;  the  legs,  straight  lines,  six  inches  long,  and 
each  turned  outward  two  inches  at  the  end,  for  the  feet. 

The  most  remarkable  character,  however,  is  the  representa- 
tion of  a Maltese  Cross,  fourteen  inches  in  measurement.  The 
lower  part  is  nearly  obliterated.  To  the  west  of  the  cross  are 
a number  of  rounded  characters  as  shown,  the  largest  of 
which,  with  a central  ring,  is  four  and  one-half  inches  in 
diameter ; the  next,  with  cross  lines,  four  inches,  and  the 
others  three  inches  each,  besides  a small  one. 

The  fourth  and  last  figure  on  the  east  of  the*  cross  is  more 
nearly  erased,  by  the  wear  of  the  rock,  than  are  the  others. 
From  what  is  left,  it  was  probably  a representation  of  some 
bird — possibly  an  owl,  one  of  whose  prominent  ears  still  re- 
main— while,  in  place  of  the  other,  there  is  only  a wide  and 
long  groove  connecting  the  different  worn  parts  of  the  rock. 
The  head  is  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  body,  now 
obliterated,  is  twelve  inches.  The  tail  is  twelve  inches  long 
and  four  and  one-half  inches  wide,  and  the  lines  which,  per- 
haps, are  intended  to  represent  the  feathers  of  the  tail  and 
wings  are,  respectively,  six  inches.  There  are  six  of  the 
former,  and  four  for  each  wing.  The  rock  upon  which  these 
characters  are  made  is  exposed  only  during  low-water  seasons 
of  the  river. 

Graves  and  Galloway  Counties. — In  these  counties  there  are 
but  few  mounds,  and  these  are  isolated  and  uninteresting.  In 
the  latter  county,  on  the  high  upland  bordering  Clark’s  river 
at  Backusburg,  was  a group  of  small  ones,  but  now  so  cut 
into  and  disfigured  by  relic-hunters  that  their  outlines  are 
scarcely  discernible.  A number  of  excavations  occur  here 
also,  in  which  are  fragments  of  unburnt  and  moulded  pot- 
tery clay. 

In  Graves  county,  a few  small  mounds  occur  on  the  place 
of  Mr.  J.  R.  Ray,  on  Panther  creek,  a few  stone  relics,  having 
been  found. 


Species  of  Fossil  Plants  collected  near  Somerville,  Tenn., 
by  Dr.  J.  M.  Safford.  Described  and  figured  by  L.  Les- 
quereux,  in  Silliman’s  Journal  (May,  1859).  The  descrip- 
tions and  figures  are  taken  from  the  “Geology  of  Tennes- 
see,” by  Prof.  Safford,  a work  now  out  of  print  and  very 
difficult  to  obtain: 

Fia.  1.  Quercus  crassinervis  (Ung.)  The  specimen  is  broken,  and  shows  only 
the  middle  part  of  a large,  sharply  dentate  leaf,  apparently  oval-lanceolate  in  out- 
line. The  broad  nerves,  and  the  running  of  the  secondary  nerves  to  the  point 
of  the  teeth,  as  the  form  of  the  acute  teeth,  would  refer  this  species  to  (Quercus 
crassinervis  (Ung.),  a species  found  in  the  Upper  Miocene  of  Europe. 

Fig.  2.  Quercus  Saffordi  (Lsqx.)  Fig.  2,  a,  b,  c.  Leaves  nearly  linear,  rarely 
an  inch  broad,  four  to  six  inches  long,  gradually  tapering  to  a point.  Margins 
regularly  and  distinctly  mucronate-serrate,  entire  near  the  base  and  decurrent  in 
a broad  petiole  or  enlarged  nerve.  Medial  nerve,  broad  and  flat;  secondary  nerve, 
oblique,  straight,  running  to  the  point  of  the  teeth,  and  alternating  with  shorter 
and  slender  ones.  There  is  not  any  published  fossil  species  that  might  be  com- 
pared with  this.  It  is  distantly  related  to  living  species  of  southern  Texas  and 
Mexico,  but  among  the  leaves  kindly  furnished  to  me  for  comparison  by  Dr.  Asa 
Gray,  there  were  none  of  these  new  species  to  which  it  could  be  referred. 

Fig.  3.  Quercus  myrtifolia  (Willd.)  Inhabits  now  the  islands  south  of  Geor- 
gia and  along  the  coasts  of  Florida.  Comparison  of  living  specimens  with  this 
fossil  shows  a perfect  identity  of  form  and  venation. 

Fig.  4.  Andromeda  vaccinifolice  affinis  (Lsqx.),  a,  b.  Thick,  oval-lanceolate, 
pointed  or  obtuse  leaves,  with  perfectly  the  same  size,  outline  and  nervation  as 
the  A.  vaccinifoUa  (Heer),  a plant  of  the  Upper  Miocene  of  Europe.  Its  nearest 
relative  in  America  is,  I think,  Andromeda  acuminata  (Michx.) 

Fig.  5.  Andromeda  dubia  (Lesqx.)  A thick,  smooth,  round  elliptical,  obtusely 
pointed  leaf,  with  entire  wavy,  somewhat  reflexed  margins  and  obsolete  nervation. 
It  is  related  to  Andromeda  ferruginea  (Michx.),  of  the  pine  barrens  of  the  South. 

Fig.  6.  Primus  Caroliniana  (Michx.)  (Wild  orange  tree.)  The  species  is 
now  confined  to  the  islands,  and  near  the  coasts  of  Carolina,  Georgia,  etc.,  and  in 
the  Bahama  Islands,  where  it  is  at  its  true  latitude.  Michaux  remarks  that  this 
species  is  not  found  on  the  mainland,  at  a distance  of  two  to  ten  miles  from  the 
shores,  where  the  temperature  is  five  to  six  degrees  colder  in  the  winter,  and  pro- 
portionally milder  in  the  summer. 

Fig.  7.  Elceagnus  inoequalis  (Lsqx.)  Leaf  long  elliptical,  obtuse  with  entire 
wavy  margin,  rounded  near  the  base  on  one  side,  and  about  one  inch  longer,  and 
decurrent  on  the  other  side  of  the  short  petiole.  Secondary  nerves  well  marked, 
thick  near  the  base,  emerging  in  acute  angle,  with  a camptodrome  much  divided 
nervation.  I do  not  know  of  any  living  species  to  which  this  could  be  compared. 


APPENDIX. 


197 


Among  tho  fossil  plants  published  till  now,  its  nearest  relative  is  Elceagnus 
acuminaUis  (Web.),  of  the  Miocene  of  Europe. 

Fig.  8.  Sapotaeites  Americanus  (Lsqx.)  Though  tho  specimen  shows  only 
the  upper  part  of  tho  loaf,  tho  form  and  tho  nervation  agree  well  with  that  of 
the  species  of  this  genus  found  the  Miocene  of  Europe.  I have  not  seen  any 
other  specimen  but  the  one  figured  here. 


Fig.  9.  Salix?  densinervis  (Lsqx.I  Leaves  narrow,  one  and  a half  to  two 
inches  long,  lanceolate  or  tapering  at  both  ends,  entire.  Medial  nerve  scarcely 


198 


APPENDIX. 


inflated  at  the  base.  Secondary  nerves  very  close,  anastomosing  as  in  the  leaflets 
of  a fern  or  of  a Trifolium.  This  nervation  is  quite  peculiar  for  a Salix,  and 
probably,  when  better  specimens  aj-e  found,  the  plant  will  be  referred  to  another 
genus. 

Fig.  10.  Qwerews  Lyellii. 

Fig.  11.  Fruit  of  Fagns  ferruginea  (Michx.)  (Red  beech.)  This  fruit  is  some- 
what more  distinctly  ribboil  on  the  sides  and  margins  than  in  our  living  species; 
but  the  characters  are  not  marked  enough  to  permit  a separation.  Though  the 
range  of  the  American  beech  is  indicated  as  rather  northern,  the  tree  is  found  most 
abundant,  and  of  the  most  remarkable  growth,  on  the  Tertiary,  and  even  the 
Cretaceous  formations  of  the  south,  even  in  Louisiana. 


zi. 


Specimens  of  fossil  leaves  from  the  two  geological  horizons,  Lignitic  and  La- 
grange, occurring  respectively  at  Wicklifie,  in  Ballard  county,  and  Boaz  Station, 
in  Graves  county,  were  collected  and  sent  to  the  United  States  Geological  Survey 
for  identification  of  species. 

This  has  been  done  by  Prof.  Leo  Lesquereux,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Director 
and  the  chief  of  the  division  of  Paleobotany,  and  the  results  are  given  below.  Only 
the  names  of  the  different  species  have  been  furnished  us,  but  it  is  expected  that  a 
report  embracing  a full  description  of  each  will  soon  appear  in  the  Tenth  Volume 
of  the  Proceedings  of  the  National  Museum. 

1.  Fossil  leaves  from  clay-stone  beds  in  the  bluff"  of  a branch  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county,  Kentucky.  Geologically,  they  belong  to  the 
Lignitic  or  Lower  Eocene  division  of  the  Tertiary,  a thin  bed  of  lignite  appearing 
in  the  same  bluff  a little  westward: 


Myrica  elaenoides  {sp.  nov.) 
Myrica  copeana.  Lx. 

Ficus  multinervis,  Heer. 
Sapindus  falcifolius,  Heer. 
Sapindus  dubius,  Heer. 
Sapindus  angustifolius,  Lx. 


Laurus  Californica  (?)  Lx. 
Q^uercus  Saffordii,  Lx. 

Juglans  rugosa.  Lx. 

Salix  angusta,  Heer. 

Salix  media,  Al.  Br. 

Fragment  of  a leaf  of  Ailanthus. 


2.  Fossil  leaves  found  in  a pinkish  plastic  clay  near  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  facing 
Mayfield  creek,  at  Boaz  Station,  Graves  county.  The  bed  belongs  to  the  Lagrange 
group  of  probably  Upper  Tertiary: 

Sapindus  falcifolius,  Heer.  Laurus  Californica,  Lx. 

Quercus  nervifolia,  Al.  Br.  Ficus  multinervis,  Heer. 

Quercus  cuspidata,  Vng. 


3.  In  the  indurated  sandy  clay  or  fire-clay  forming  the  base  of  the  so-called 
“chalk  banks,”  two  miles  south  of  Columbus,  are  numerous  fragments  of  lignitized 
sticks,  leaves,  etc.  The  bed  belongs  to  the  Lignitic  or  Lower  Eocene  division  of  the 
Tertiary.  Among  these  was  found  a single  specimen,  well  preserved,  that  Prof. 
I.esquereux  terms  “Fruit  of  Fagus,”  and  for  which  Prof.  Ward  proposes  the  name 
Fagiis  Loughridgei 


THE  COUNTIES  OF 

JACKSON’S  PURCHASE. 

GEOLOGICAL  AND 
AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 


pp.  199,  200. 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  COUNTIES. 


FULTON  COUNTY. 

Fulton,  the  extreme  south-western  county  of  the  State,  was 
organized  from  Hickman  in  1845,  and  has  an  area  of  about 
178.6  square  miles,  of  which  about  seventy  are  embraced  in 
the  Mississippi  bottom  region. 

The  drainage  waters  of  the  entire  middle  and  eastern  por- 
tions of  the  county  are  carried  northward  into  the  Bayou  de 
Chien  and  thence  westward  into  the  Mississippi  river,  there 
being  but  a very  small  area  along  the  Tennessee  line,  which 
is  drained  southward  into  that  State.  Again,  on  the  west, 
the  drainage  is  eastward,  or  away  from  the  bluffs  that  bor- 
der the  bottoms  of  the  Mississippi  river,  the  waters  reaching 
that  river  only  through  the  stream  that  flows  southward  into 
Tennessee.  The  divide,  therefore,  that  forms  the  southern 
rim  of  the  Purchase  drainage  basin,  from  the  Tennessee  river 
westward,  leaves  the  State  line  at  the  point  where  the  N.  C. 
& L.  R.  R.  crosses  it  from  Union  City,  and  turns  northwest- 
ward to  the  town  of  Hickman. 

The  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  river  once  passed  west 
of  Island  No.  6,  through  what  is  now  but  a slough.  East  of 
the  island  a small  current  flowed,  and  between  it  and  the 
bluffs  there  was,  in  1842,  a bottom  one-quarter  of  a mile 
wide.  Within  this  latter  a broad  cypress  brake  or  slough 
extended  southward,  apparently  connecting  with  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Morrow  slough,  that,  beginning  at  the  river  a 
mile  from  Hickman,  connects  with  Reelfoot  Lake. 

There  is  also  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Obion  and 
Bayou  de  Chien  were  once  united  before  reaching  the  river, 
but  had  become  separated  by  the  wearing  away  of  the 
river  banks.  We  are  informed  by  some  of  the  citizens  living 
in  the  vicinity,  that  about  thirty  years  ago  the  mouths  of  the 
two  streams  were  within  four  hundred  yards  of  each  other, 


202 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGKICULTURAL  FEATURES 


though  now  separated  by  one  and  a half  miles.  Since  then 
the  current  of  the  river,  thrown  against  the  eastern  bank,  has 
carried  it  away,  not  only  removing  all  traces  of  the  lowland 
in  front  of  Hickman,  but  threatens  to  sweep  the  river  por- 
tion of  the  town  itself  away.  The  railroad  tracks  along  the 
front  have  been  repeatedly  relaid,  nearer  each  time  to  the 
foot  of  the  bluff,  and  have  been  finally  removed  and  the  depot 
located  out  of  town. 

The  Morrow  slough,  mentioned  above,  has  a broad  and 
deep  channel,  with  abrupt  banks,  and  lies  along  the  eastern 
side  of  Reelfoot  Lake  several  miles  before  entering  it.  The 
channel  even  then  preserves  its  identity,  and,  according  to 
Mr.  Carpenter,  who  lives  at  the  lake,  has  a depth  of  twelve 
feet  and  width  of  one  hundred  feet ; it  crosses  the  lake  in  a 
west  course,  then  follows  the  west  side  for  about  ten  miles, 
crosses  again  to  the  east,  and  thence  to  the  Obion  river, 
fifteen  miles  distant. 

The  strong  resemblance  between  the  channel  of  the  slough 
and  those  of  the  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien,  their  continuity 
in  general  course,  as  well  as  with  that  of  the  Hickman  slough, 
now  swept  away,  makes  very  plausible  the  theory  that  these 
two  streams  once  unitedly  found  their  way  through  this 
slough  channel  southward  to  the  Obion  river,  in  Tennessee, 
before  entering  the  Mississippi. 

The  Mississippi  bottom  presents  a comparatively  level  sur- 
face, interspersed  with  a number  of  large  lakes  and  ponds, 
which  are  connected  by  sloughs  with  either  Reelfoot  Lake 
on  the  south  or  the  Mississippi  river.  The  bottom  lies  about 
forty  feet  above  low- water,  and  is,  therefore,  subject  to  an- 
nual overflows.  It  is  very  heavily  timbered  with  walnut, 
hickory,  ash,  sweet  and  red  gums,  water  and  overcup  oaks, 
pecan,  sycamore,  cottonwood,  willow,  catalpa  and  papaw. 
On  the  bottom  and  low  ridges  sweet  gum,  spicewood,  honey 
locust,  swamp  dogwood  and  sugar  maple,  persimmon,  redbud, 
mulberry,  some  black  and  red  haws,  cane  and  elder  brush, 
form  the  chief  growth. 

A few  low  sandy  ridges  lie  parallel  with  the  river  and  not 
far  from  it,  the  most  prominent  among  which  is  the  Sassafras 
ridge,  with  a length  of  about  three  miles  and  a width  of 


OF  FULTON  COUNTY. 


203 


froHi  one-fourth  to  one-Juilf  mile.  Its  elevation  above  the 
suiTOHiuling  bottom  is  only  about  ten  feet,  and  it  is  subject 
to  high-water  overtlows.  The  growth  is  cottonwood,  oak, 
ash  and  sassafwas.  It  is  said  that  walnut  was  once  the 
chief  growth,  but  was  cut  off  and  used  for  fence  rails. 

That  portion  of  the  bottom  lying  in  New  Madrid  bend  is 
entirely  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  State,  and  can  net  be 
reached  by  land  except  by  passing  through  a portion  of 
Tennessee  or  Missouri.  It  is  but  a few  feet  above  overflow, 
and  is  largely  in  cultivation. 

The  uplands  of  the  county  comprise  a bluff  ridge  along  the 
border  of  the  Mississippi  river  bottom,  and  lower  lands  in 
the  interior.  South  from  the  Bayou  de  Chien  to  the  Tennes- 
see State  line  the  uplands  rise  from  the  bottom  region  very 
abruptly  and  steeply  to  an  elevation  of  over  one  hundred 
and  sixty  feet,  presenting  fronts  to  westward.  At  Hickman 
their  extreme  elevation  is  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above 
the  business  x^^rt  of  town,  or  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  above  low-water,  and  about  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  summit  of  this  bluff  ridge  is  narrow, 
falling  suddenly  on  the  east  for  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  with 
still  another  fall  eastward  to  the  general  level  of  the  up- 
lands, or  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  above  the  river  bottoms. 

Southward,  the  bluff  ridge  widens,  but  its  immediate  west- 
ern front  forms  a sharp  water-divide,  the  gullies  which  mark 
the  head-waters  of  easterly  flowing  streams  usually  approach- 
ing to  within  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  brow 
of  the  bluff,  cutting  the  surface  of  the  plateau  sharj^ly  into 
deep  ravines,  and  giving  to  the  country  a very  broken  and 
hilly  character.  This  is  especially  so  in  the  southern  portion 
near  the  State  line,  where  the  general  elevation  falls  gradually 
eastward  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  bottom 
to  about  sixty  feet  at  Reelfoot  creek,  a decline  of  about  one 
hundred  feet  in  a distance  of  five  and  a half  miles. 

This  ridge  is  a continuation  of  the  line  of  bluff  or  cane 
hills  that  border  the  Mississippi  river  bottom  in  Louisiana 
through  Mississippi  and  Tennessee.  It  has  a timber  growth 
■of  beech,  poplar,  hickory,  elm,  oaks,  black  locust,  walnut. 


204 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


ironwood,  hornbeam,  dogwood  and  sassafras.  Cane  under- 
growth was  once  luxuriant. 

On  the  north  of  Bayou  de  Chien,  in  this  county,  this  high 
ridge  is  not  found ; the  bottom  lands  reach  four  miles  further 
eastward  than  at  Hickman,  and  the  bluffs  that  border  them 
are  much  lower,  and  present  features  similar  to  the  ordinary 
uplands  lying  due  southward. 

The  rest  of  the  county  lying  east  of  the  bluff  ridge  is  com- 
paratively level  or  but  slightly  rolling,  cut  into  by  the  several 
streams,  and  presenting  broad  and  arable  lands,  originally 
timbered  with  white  and  red  oaks,  hickory  and  sweet  gum. 
The  general  surface  has  an  elevation  of  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  feet  above  the  Mississippi  bottom,  rising  thirty-five  or 
forty  feet  higher  to  the  ridge,  along  which  the  M.  & 0.  R.  R. 
is  laid,  and  again  falls  eastward. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


The  uplands  of  the  county  are  composed  of  Quaternary 
loams  and  sands  to  a depth  of  from  twenty- five  to  forty 
feet,  and  the  underlying  older  formations  are  exposed  only  in 
the  vertical  banks  of  the  various  streams  (where  not  covered 
by  eroded  material),  and  especially  in  the  high  bluffs  that 
border  or  face  the  Mississippi  river  bottom.  The  formations 
thus  exposed  in  the  county  comprise 


Quaternary 


Tertiary 


Alluvial  or  recent. 
Brown  loam. 

Loess  and  bluff. 
Port  Hudson. 
Stratified  drift. 
Lagrange. 

Lower  Eocene. 


The  series  are  well  seen  at  Hickman,  where  they  are  ex- 
posed in  the  almost  vertical  bluffs  and  in  the  banks  of  the 
river  at  low-water  seasons. 

The  following  section  is  given  in  the  order,  position  and 
thickness  of  the  different  strata : 


OF  FULTON  COUNTY. 


20.5 


SECTION  OF  BLUFF  AT  HICKMAN. 


Feet. 

Yellow  or  brownish  yellow  loiun. 

4 

>* 

< 

60 

Light  grey  silt  or  loess  with  calcareous  concretions  and  very  numer- 
ous land  shells. 

s . 

w 

f- 

■< 

D 

O’ 

15 

Dark  brown  loam  with  some  scattered  gravel  in  the  lower  two  feet. 

1 

Dense  deposit  of  hornstone  and  chert  gravel  and  loam. 

10 

Heavy  bed  of  gravel,  with  red  sand  and  clay  somewhat  stratified. 

6 

Greenish  or  sometimes  bluish  sandy  joint  clay,  crumbling  easily. 

2 

Ledge  of  sand  and  claystone,  crumbly,  greyish  and  soft. 

Thinly  laminated  slate-colored  or  bluish  joint  clay. 

Tertiary. 

10 

Greenish  clay-stone  and  green  clay,  soft,  banded  with  j’ellow  ferru- 
ginous lines,  crumbles  easily,  and  in  places  is  quite  solid. 

8 

Slate  colored  clay-stone,  massive,  jointed  structure,  in  places  contain- 
ing a dark  opal  in  small  lumps. 

50 

Greenish  joint  clay,  the  exposure  hidden  by  the  alluvial  loam  of  the 
bottoms. 

TEETIAEY  FOEMATION. 


The  lower  eighty  feet  of  strata  and  material  that  are  here 
referred  to,  the  Tertiary  formation,  have  not  been  recognized 
elsewhere  in  any  other  county.  They  form  a group  peculiar 
to  themselves,  and  in  nowise  resembling  any  other  of  the 
Tertiary  series,  either  in  this  or  other  States,  so  far  as  I can 
ascertain ; and  I have,  for  that  reason,  provisionally  given  to 
them  the  name  Hickman  Group,  from  the  locality  where  best 
exposed. 

The  position  of  the  group,  with  relation  to  the  lignitic, 
which  is  represented  in  the  other  counties  of  the  Purchase, 
has  not  been  positively  ascertained ; but  from  its  easterly 
dip,  and  its  more  westerly  position  than  the  Columbus  beds, 


206 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


and  the  resemblance  of  the  uppermost  six  feet  to  the  sandy 
clays  of  the  latter,  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  it 
underlies  the  lignitic  black  and  grey  clays,  probably  form- 
ing a part  of  that  group. 

The  lowest  member  of  the  series,  as  exposed  in  the  Hick- 
man bluff,  is  a light  greenish  or  drab  colored  and  stiff  joint- 
clay,  crumbling  and  hardening  on  exposure ; it  is  compact 
and  hard,  and  has  an  exposed  thickness  of  fifty  feet.  In  a 
well  in  the  southern  part  of  town  the  clay  was  exposed  to 
a depth  of  five  feet,  and  under  it  ten  feet  of  blue,  plastic, 
micaceous  and  lignitic  clay  over  ten  feet  of  white  sand. 
This  well  was  within  the  curve  formed  by  the  south-easterly 
trend  of  the  bluff,  and  the  strata  are  probably  a part  of  the 
Tertiary  series.  This  is  rendered  more  probable  from  the  fact 
that  in  another  well,  outside  of  this  bluff  curve,  or  within 
the  river  bottom,  blue  alluvial  sediment  was  penetrated  to 
twenty -two  and  a half  feet,  where  cypress  knees,  leaves,  logs, 
etc.,  were  found. 

Immediately  overlying  the  clay,  at  the  north  end  of  the 
main  bluff,  is  a ledge  of  slate-colored  clay-stone,  very  brittle, 
breaking  with  sharp  and  jointy  fracture,  crumbling  on  ex- 
posure to  air,  and  containing  small  lumps  of  a dark  but 
very  brittle  opal,  inclosed  in  a semi- opal  matrix  or  mass. 
The  opal  was  found  only  in  this  portion  of  the  bluff.  The 
ledge  of  clay-stone  is  about  eight  feet  thick,  but  not  homoge- 
neous in  structure.  It  is  overlaid  by  ten  feet  of  a softer 
clay-stone,  crumbling  readily,  and  for  the  most  part  thinly 
laminated,  the  laminae  separated  by  seams  of  yellow  ochre- 
ous  clay.  Above  the  clay  stone  is  a stratum  of  blackish-blue 
clay  one  foot  in  thickness,  and  in  turn  overlaid  by  two  feet 
of  sandy  clay-stone,  the  series  capped  by  another  layer  six 
. feet  thick  of  blue  or  green  colored  clay,  quite  brittle,  and 
resembling  somewhat  the  grey  “soapstone”  clay  of  the  lignitic 
series  found  in  other  counties. 

The  clay-stone  ledge  is  again  exposed  in  a deep  ravine  or 
creek  near  the  spring  on  the  place  of  Mr.  T.  R.  McMahon, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  town.  It  is  here  two  feet  thick,  and  is 
both  overlaid  and  underlaid  by  the  greenish  clays.  Still 
eastward,  in  the  bed  of  a creek  one  mile  or  more  from  town, 


OF  FULTON  ('OUNTY. 


207 


tlie  clay  is  exposed  to  the  depth  of  a couple  of  feet.  Beyond 
this,  at  Mud  creek,  only  the  bluish  clays  of  the  upper  strata 
could  be  found. 

This  series  of  clays  and  clay-stones  are  exposed  southward 
into  Tennessee,  the  last  bluff  examined  being  near  Reel  foot 
Lake,  east  of  Mr.  Carpenter’s.  Here  the  ledge  of  clay-stone 
is  a foot  thick,  lies  fifty  feet  above  the  bottom  land,  under- 
laid by  six  feet  of  a softer  clayey  grey  sandstone  permeated 
with  streaks  of  yellow,  and  in  turn  underlaid  by  the  grey 
clays.  Blue  clays  here  also  overlie  the  clay-stone  ledge,  and 
eastward  are  found  exposed  in  a deep  ravine.  They  have  a 
disagreeable  fetid  odor,  and  are  not  micaceous.  The  eastern 
limit  of  the  formation  seems  to  be  just  beyond  Blue  Mud 
creek,  where  the  top  stratum  of  blue  clay  is  found  in  wells 
below  the  superficial  loam  and  gravel,  and  also  in  some  of 
the  creeks.  On  the  south-west  of  Cayce  station  it  is  reached 
at  from  twenty  to  forty  feet,  and  has  been  penetrated  for  ten 
feet  without  reaching  its  limit. 

Lignitic  Group. — In  the  Hickman  bluff,  and  overlying  the 
ledge  of  clay-stone  referred  to  the  provisional  Hickman 
group.,  there  is  a stratum  of  a light  bluish  sandy  clay  which 
is  probably  the  representative  of  the  lignitic  beds  so  promi- 
nent in  all  of  the  other  counties  of  the  Purchase  region. 

Its  resemblance  to  the  indurated  sandy  clay  beds  of  the 
Columbus  bluffs  on  the  north,  and  its  continuation  south- 
ward into  Tennessee,  where  Prof.  Safford  reports  the  exist- 
ence of  bluff  lignite,  make  it  more  than  probable  that  its 
reference  to  the  lignitic  group  is  correct.  As  already  stated, 
the  clays  are  well  exposed  in  the  high  bluffs  at  the  Tennessee 
State  line  near  Mr.  Carpenter’s,  and  also  eastward  in  the 
deep  ravines,  and,  as  at  Hickman,  overlie  directly  the  clay- 
stone  ledge. 

The  bed  has  a thickness  of  six  feet,  and  is  overlaid  by  the 
gravel  dei)osits  of  the  Quaternary. 

Lagrange  Group. — This  formation  appears  immediately 
overlying  the  Hickman  and  lignitic  clays,  or  at  least  begins 
just  as  the  latter  cease.  It  seems  to  be  the  uppermost  of 
the  series,  being  overlaid  by  Quaternary  gravel  and  sand.  It 
does  not  apppar  in  the  Hickman  hlnff. 


208 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  group  embraces  white  and  yellow  sands,  with  occa- 
sional layers  of  white  or  bluish-white  plastic  pipe-clay  a few 
inches  in  thickness.  No  exposure  could  be  found;  but  in 
wells  that  have  been  dug  to  any  great  depth  these  strata 
were  passed  through.  White  sand  is  especially  prominent. 

At  Cayce  station  a well  was  dug  through  twenty  feet  of 
loam,  four  feet  of  pipe-clay,  and  thirty-six  feet  of  red  and 
white  sand,  with  some  clay — in  all  sixty  feet— and  no  water 
found.  A couple  of  miles  westward  the  strata  are  diiferent, 
and  the  blue  fetid  clay  is  reached  at  twenty  feet.  At  Wes- 
ley, five  miles  north  of  Pulton,  twenty  feet  of  loam,  twenty- 
live  feet  of  red  sand,  and  fifty  feet  of  white  sand  and  layers 
of  clay,  were  penetrated.  At  Fulton,  in  a valley,  four  feet 
of  loam,  ten  feet  of  pipe-clay,  twenty-five  feet  of  white  sand, 
one  and  a half  feet  of  pipe -clay,  and  three  feet  of  white  sand 
were  passed  through  in  digging  a well.  Two  miles  north-east 
of  Fulton  white  sand  was  found  at  a depth  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  feet. 

QUATERNARY  FORMATION. 

Stratified  Drift. — The  Tertiary  strata  are  overlaid  directly 
in  the  Hickman  bluff  by  eleven  feet  of  rather  coarse  and 
rounded  hornstone  and  chert  gravel,  mixed  with  red  and 
yellow  sand  and  some  clay.  The  usual  water-worn  Subcar- 
boniferous  crinoids,  etc.,  are  found,  but  not  abundantly.  The 
deposit  is  somewhat  stratified,  and  has  a general  inclination 
east  or  north-eastward.  The  upper  part  of  the  bed  is  espe- 
cially dense  or  compacted,  containing  more  stiff  red  clay  than 
the  lower  bed.  At  one  point  the  following  stratification  was 


apparent : 

Dense  gravel  and  loam  bed 12  inches. 

Dense  gravel  and  red  clay,  highly  cemented 8 inches. 

Dense  gravel  and  red  sand,  loose  in  character  8 feet. 


Lumps  of  blue  plastic  clay  are  dispersed  throughout  the 
bed,  and  frequently  inclose  a few  gravel. 

In  the  brown  loam  or  silt  that  overlies  the  gravel,  a few 
scattering  pieces  of  quartz  gravel,  from  red  to  black  in  color, 
occur  for  a foot  or  two,  and  occasionally  some  hornstone  is 
found. 


OK  FULTON  COUNTY. 


209 


Southward,  toward  Reelfoot  Lake,  the  gravel-beds  are  seen, 
but  with  a thickness  of  only  a foot  or  two,  while  eastward 
from  the  immediate  bluff,  and  for  many  miles,  it  is,  so  far 
as  known,  entirely  absent,  a red  sand  taking  its  place.  In 
most  wells  water  is  obtained  in  the  blue  clay  at  thirty  or 
forty  feet  from  the  surface. 

What  seems  to  be  an  isolated  bed  of  gravel  was  found  in 
a well  one  mile  south  of  Cayce  station,  and  was  four  feet 
in  thickness.  A gravel  conglomerate  and  some  loose  gravel 
occurs  a mile  south  of  Wesley;  but  the  bed  is  thin  and  the 
gravel  fine.  A little  gravel  is  also  occasionally  found  in 
wells  near  Fulton  and  at  Jourdan  station. 

Port  Hudson.  — This  formation,  which,  geologically,  is 
placed  above  the  stratified  sands  and  gravel,  is  found  ex- 
posed along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  below  the  alluvial 
deposit.  Its  material  consist  of  blue  and  stiff  clays,  inclos- 
ing some  pieces  of  lignite.  The  beds  are  also  marked  by  old 
cypress  stumps,  which  are  found  still  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion, buried  below  the  alluvial  proper. 

In  the  broad  bottom  region  these  materials  are  reached  at 
ten  to  fifteen  feet,  as  shown  in  digging  wells.  In  the  low 
portion  of  Hickman,  cypress  knees,  weeds,  and  a cypress  log, 
were  struck  in  a well  at  twenty-two  and  a half  feet.  In  a 
well  near  Sassafras  ridge,  in  the  western  part  of  the  bottom, 
after  passing  through  four  feet  of  alluvial  loam  and  ten  feet 
of  white  and  yellow  sand,  two  feet  of  blue  clay  was  pene- 
trated, and  water  was  found  in  a blackish  sand.  Some  lig- 
nite and  fossil  leaves  were  observed  in  the  clay. 

Loess  or  Bluff  Formation. — This  formation  is  confined  to 
the  bluffs  that  border  the  Mississippi  bottom,  lying  in  this 
county  between  the  Bayou  de  Chien  and  the  State  line,  and, 
in  elevation,  is  above  the  general  level  of  the  rest  of  the 
county.  Its  material  consists  of  a light-colored  soft  and  fine 
silt,  yellowish  when  moist,  and  grey  and  compact  or  indu- 
rated when  dry.  It  contains  numbers  of  land  shells.  (See 
page  78.) 

The  bed  of  silt  is  about  fifty  feet  thick,  changing  below  to 
a more  clayey  loam,  in  which  the  shells  were  not  found,  and 

GEOL.  SUR. — 14. 


210 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGKICULTURAL  FEATURES 


which,  with  a thickness  of  about  fifteen  feet,  directly  overlies 
the  gravel,  and  incloses  a few  scattering  small  colored  quartz 
I)ebbles  in  the  lower  two  feet. 

The  silt  beds  of  the  bluff  contain  also  numerous  calcare- 
ous concretions  and  yellow  tube-like  forms,  showing,  when 
broken,  concentric  layers  and  a small  central  hole,  as  if  made 
by  some  rootlet.  Near  the  upper  part  of  the  bed  such  root- 
lets were  seen  as  long  strings  inserted  in  the  interior  of 
these  forms.  On  the  summit  of  the  bluff  the  silt  is  covered 
with  four  or  five  feet  of  yellow  loam. 

Brown  Loam. — This  material  forms  the  surface  of  the  up- 
lands of  the  county,  and  has  a general  depth  of  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet.  The  upper  two  feet  is  usually  a light  yellowish 
loam  where  drained,  while  the  lower  portion  is  more  com- 
pact, lighter  colored,  and  permeated  by  seams  of  a whitish 
silty  material. 

AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

Fulton  county  does  not  possess  those  varied  features  that 
characterize  some  of  the  other  counties  of  the  Purchase,  for 
in  its  uplands  there  is  lacking  the  fiatwoods  and  the  barrens  ; 
and  in  its  lowlands  we  do  not  find  a belt  of  valley  land  along 
its  river,  as  in  McCracken,  Ballard,  Marshall  and  Calloway 
counties. 

Uplands. — The  uplands  of  the  county  embrace  the  high 
Cane  Hills  ridge,  or  bluff  lands,  along  the  Mississix>pi  bot- 
tom, and  the  lower  and  more  level  country  reaching  east 
across  the  county. 

The  Gane  Hills  form  a narrow  belt  on  the  north,  near  Hick- 
man, and  a wider  but  very  broken  section  on  the  south,  thus 
affording  a comparatively  small  area  suitable  for  tillage.  The 
soil  is,  however,  very  rich  and  fertile,  formed  from  the  cal- 
careous silt  or  loess  of  the  bluff,  and,  where  bodies  large 
enough  for  farms  are  found,  will  repay  the  husbandman  for 
his  labor. 

An  analysis  of  the  silt  on  page  79  shows  it  to  be  extremely 
rich  in  potash  and  soda  and  magnesia,  and  with  a large  per- 
centage of  lime,  a richness  also  indicated  by  the  large  timber 
growth  of  poplar,  oak,  walnut,  etc.,  whose  roots  draw  the 


OF  FULTON  COUNTY. 


211 


necessary  food  from  this  silt.  Cane  undergrowth  is  a cliarac- 
teristic  feature  of  the  surface  growth  throughout  the  leno-th 
of  the  bluir. 

The  remaining  uplands  of  the  county,  known  as  the  oak 
and  hickory  hroion  loam  lands,  have  a brownish  loam  soil, 
loose  in  texture  where  well  drained,  or  where  Iving  along 
the  edges  of  ill-drained  flats,  and  has  a depth  of  two  to  four 
feet  to  the  more  compact  under-clay.  The  immediate  sur- 
face soil  is  usually  dark  from  decayed  vegetation.  On  flat 
areas,  where  there  is  no  natural  drainage,  the  soil  becomes 
heavy,  crawflshy  and  leached,  the  iron  and  a portion  of  the 
other  ingredients  withdrawn  in  the  form  of  small  rounded 
bog  ore  gravel.  These  spots  are  marked  by  a whitish  soil. 

The  timber  growth  of  these  uplands  comprises  white  and 
red  oaks,  and  hickory,  with  dogwood  and  sassafras,  and  per- 
simmon ; poplar  is  conflned  to  the  country  west  of  Mud 
creek. 

A comparison  of  the  analyses  of  virgin  soils  from  near 
Hickman  and  Fulton,  given  in  the  general  report  (page  159), 
show  the  strongest  difl'erences  in  their  potash  and  phos- 
phoric acid ; those  from  the  former  place  being  deficient 

the  amount  of  potash  available  for  plants,  while  having  a 
fair  amount  of  phosphoric  acid;  and  the  soil  from  Fulton  hav- 
ing a fair  percentage  of  potash  and  rather  a deficiency  in 
phosphoric  acid.  The  insoluble  portions  of  the  soil,  however, 
hold  a large  amount  of  the  former  constituent  (more  than 
one  and  a half  per  cent.),  which  should  be  made  available 
by  the  addition  of  more  lime  to  all  these  soils. 

The  subsoils  are  naturally  poorer  in  vegetable  or  organic 
matter,  but  are  more  clayey  in  character,  and  contain  less 
hme  and  larger  percentages  of  potash  and  phosphoric  acid 
than  their  soils.  The  differences  are  so  great  in  the  latter 
two  elements  of  plant  food  that  they  point  clearly  to  deep 
subsoil  plowing  as  one  means  of  keeping  up  the  fertility. 

The  uplands  wash  into  ravines  and  gullies  very  badly  on 
hill-sides,  unless  well  cared  for.  Little  or  no  hill-side  ditch- 
ing or  horizontal  plowing  was  observed,  the  crops  being 
usually  “laid  by”  with  the  rows  forming  excellent  water 
drains  down  the  hill-sides,  with  a consequent  loss  of  soil. 


213 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  central  and  eastern  portions  of  the  county,  from  the 
bluffs  of  the  river  bottom  eastward  beyond  the  M.  & 0.  R.  R., 
are  very  generally  opened  up  and  in  cultivation,  the  roads 
passing  almost  continuously  through  lanes. 

The  crops  of  the  uplands  are  chiefly  corn  and  wheat,  the 
average  yield  being,  in  good  seasons,  eight  to  ten  barrels  of 
the  former,  or  ten  to  fifteen  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre. 
Some  tobacco  is  cultivated,  but  the  plant  grows  too  large 
and  coarse.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Wesley  it  is  said  to 
yield  one  thousand  pounds  per  acre.  A little  cotton  has 
also  been  produced  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county, 
but  the  seasons  are  too  short  for  the  complete  opening  of 
the  bolls.  The  plant  grows  luxuriantly.  East  of  Cayce,  land- 
plaster  or  gypsum  is  said  to  be  used  extensively  on  the 
lands. 

Bottom  Lands. — The  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi  river 
cover  an  area  of  about  seventy  square  miles,  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  which  are  subject  to  overflow,  and  not  under 
cultivation.  Along  the  river  bank,  with  a width  of  about  a 
mile,  there  is  a belt  of  sandy  lands  somewhat  higher,  which, 
together  with  some  low  ridges  in  the  swamp,  are  sufficiently 
elevated  to  escape  disastrous  floods,  except  in  unusual  high- 
water  seasons.  Such  lands  embrace  almost  the  only  tilled 
area,  the  rest  being  valuable  chiefly  for  their  fine  timber 
growth,  though  having  a very  rich  and  light  alluvial  loam 
soil,  several  feet  in  depth,  which  would  produce  immense 
crops.  Corn  is  the  chief  and  almost  only  crop  cultivated 
in  the  bottom,  the  sandy  lands,  including  Sassafras  ridge, 
yielding  from  sixty  to  seventy  bushels  of  corn  per  acre. 

New  Madrid  Bend  is  several  feet  higher  than  the  main  bot- 
tom region,  and  for  the  most  part  is  above  ordinary  high- 
water.  Large  farms  lie  along  the  river,  producing  both  corn 
and  wheat. 

Analyses  made  of  samples  of  these  soils  from  near  Hick- 
man are  given  in  the  general  report.  (See  page  145.) 

The  most  notable  feature  brought  out  by  the  analyses  is 
the  large  amounts  of  organic  matter  and  lime  carbonate, 
which  are  valuable  additions  where  so  little  potash  occurs 
in  an  available  form  and  so  much  held  in  an  insoluble  con- 


OF  FULTON  COUNTY 


2i:J 

dition.  Tlie  phosplioric  acid  percentage  is  good,  with,  how- 
ever, comparatively  little  to  fall  back  on  in  the  insoluble 
residues  when  the  soil  becomes  at  all  exhausted. 

In  the  cultivated  soil,  the  land  is  seen  to  not  only  hold  its 
own,  but  to  impi'ove  by  the  plowing,  the  phosi)horic  acid 
remaining  the  same,  and  the  available  potash  increasing  at 
the  expense  of  the  insoluble  portion.  The  alumina  and 
iron  oxide  (probably  the  latter,  chiefly)  seem  to  have  gone 
into  an  insoluble  form.  The  withdraAval  of  the  corn  crop 
seems  not  to  have  affected  the  land. 

The  lands  of  the  bottom  above  Hickman  are  similar  in 
character  to  those  on  the  south.  Along  the  river  bank 
cj’press  stumps  stand  in  the  underlying  blue  clays,  and  are 
embedded  and  covered  by  the  alluvial  loam. 

The  bottom  reaches  eastward  for  several  miles,  and  has  a 
heavy  timber  growth  similar  to  that  already  given. 

Those  portions  of  the  bottom  land  of  the  Obion  creek  and 
Bayou  de  Chien,  lying  within  this  county,  are  formed  by 
overflows  from  the  Mississippi  river,  chiefly,  and  are  similar 
to  the  lands  already  described. 

On  Little  Bayou  de  Chien,  and  smaller  streams,  the  lands 
are  formed  by  washings  from  the  brown  loam  uplands,  and 
are  yellowish  and  stiffer  than  the  river  lands,  and  crawfishy 
to  a large  degree.  The  surface  soil  is  dark  or  black  to  a 
depth  of  an  inch.  Their  valleys  are  usually  from  one-fourth 
to  one-half  mile  in  wddth,  and  not  very  much  in  cultivation. 
The  growffh  comprises  white  and  other  oaks,  hickory,  gum. 
and  some  pecan. 


ECONOMIC  FEATURES. 

There  are  no  minerals  occurring  in  this  county  that  deserve 
attention.  Some  iron,  in  the  form  of  oxide,  occurs  in  the 
gravel  beds  of  the  bluffs,  staining  them  yellow  or  red,  and 
forming  a cementing  material  for  the  gravel  conglomerates ; 
occasionally  a thin  sheet  of  limonite  is  found,  but  in  no 
great  quantity.  To  this  iron  oxide  is  due  the  chalybeate 
character  of  so  many  of  the  springs  that  come  from  beneath 
the  gravel. 


214 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULUURAL  FEATURES 


In  some  of  the  clays  (especially  the  blue)  are  frequently 
found  bright  particles  of  iron  pyrites,  having  yellow  or  sil- 
very colors,  and  often  mistaken  for  gold  or  silver.  They 
give  rise,  by  decomposition,  to  the  fetid  or  disagreeable  odor 
so  generally  observed  in  the  blue  clays,  and  to  the  sulphur 
springs  which  sometimes  are  found  issuing  from  these  clays, 
and  which  are  recognized  by  the  accompanying  odor. 

A chalybeate  water  from  Nick  Combs’  spring,  four  miles 
south-west  of  Hickman,  was,  on  analysis,  found  to  contain 
free  carbonic  acid  and  0.302  grains  of  saline  matters  in  one 
thousand  of  water.  This  consists  of  iron,  manganese,  lime 
and  magnesia  carbonates,  with  some  lime  and  magnesia  sul- 
phates. 

Potter' s Clay^  Etc. — The  bluffs  at  Hickman,  and  southward 
to  the  Tennessee  State  line,  contain  an  inexhaustible  amount 
of  pure  clay,  free  from  coarse  sand  and  pyrites,  and  which 
doubtless  could  be  utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  tiling, 
terra-cotta  and  pottery.  The  clay  is  said  to  have  been  suc- 
cessfully tried  for  fire-brick ; but  the  amount  of  potash  it 
contains  would  seem  to  unfit  it  for  the  severest  tests.  The 
greenish  color  is  probably  due  to  diffused  glauconitic  clay. 

Analyses  have  been  made  of  the  following  specimens  of 
clay  from  this  county,  with  results  as  given  in  the  general 
report : 

No.  2141.  Clay ; bed  about  twenty  feet  thick  or  more 
above  the  railroad  track ; upper  part  of  the  town  of  Hick- 
man ; of  a pretty  uniform  olive-grey  color ; calcines  quite 
hard,  and  is  quite  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe. 

No.  2136.  Clay  from  the  bluff  at  Hickman;  upper  part  of 
town ; first  clay  below  gravel  bed ; about  four  feet  thick.  It 
is  of  a light-greyish  tint,  and  ferruginous  in  parts  by  infil- 
tration; moderately  plastic;  it  did  not  calcine  very  hard, 
acquiring  a handsome  light  brick  color,  and  is  refractory 
before  the  blow  pipe. 

No.  2138.  Clay  from  the  Hickman  bluff;  upper  part  of 
town;  it  lies  about  ten  feet  below  the  gravel  bed,  and  is 
about  four  feet  thick ; it  is  light-grey  in  color,  infiltrated 
somewhat  with  ochreous  material  in  striae,  and  is  quite 


OF  FULTON  COUNTY. 


2ir> 

plastic ; calcined  to  a li^ht  brick  color,  and  is  quite  re- 
fractory before  the  blow-pipe. 

No.  2140.  Clay  from  Hickman  blulTs  ; upper  part  of  town  ; 
tlie  bed  is  about  five  feet  thick,  below  No.  2139  ; light  lilac- 
grey  color,  and  stained  with  an  ochre  on  the  exterior ; it  is 
quite  plastic,  buiais  quite  hard  and  to  a light-brownish  buff 
tint,  and  is  quite  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe. 

No.  2134.  Indurated  clay  from  Hickman  bluff;  forty-five 
feet  above  low-water ; grey  color,  with  some  light  ferruginous 
stains  in  fissures  ; quite  plastic  with  water  when  powdered. 
It  calcines  to  a light-buff  color,  and  fuses  before  the  blow- 
pipe into  a grey  slag. 

No.  2135.  Clay  from  Hickman  bluff ; ninety-five  feet  above 
low- water;  it  is  quite  plastic  with  water,  calcines  to  a red- 
dish buff  color,  and  is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe,  but 
sintered  somewhat. 

No.  2137.  Clay  from  Hickman  bluff ; same  bed  as  No. 
2136,  but  one-fourth  mile  further  up  the  bluff ; three  to  four 
feet  thick  ; it  is  quite  plastic,  burns  hard  and  to  a light  grey- 
ish buff  tint,  and  fuses  with  great  difficulty  before  the  blow- 
pipe. 

No.  2139.  Clay  above  No.  2138;  it  is  about  four  feet 
thick,  quite  plastic,  and  burns  hard;  of  a light  grey-buff 
tint;  fuses  with  difficulty  before  the  blow-pipe. 

Dr.  Peter  remarks:  “The  refractory  clays  would  probably 
make  good  fire-brick,  etc. ; others  of  the  above  could  be  em- 
ployed for  terra-cotta  work  and  other  forms  of  pottery,  while 
some  of  these  abundant  deposits  might,  no  doubt,  be  used 
with  advantage  in  mixture  with  the  more  calcareous  soft 
material,  found  in  some  of  these  beds,  in  the  manufacture 
of  hydraulic  cement  of  the  character  of  the  celebrated  Port- 
land cement.” 

The  following  samples  of  the  clay-stones,  or  indurated 
siliceous  clay  and  concretions,  that  occur  in  the  bluffs  border- 
ing the  Mississippi  bottom,  have  been  analyzed  and  given  in 
the  general  report : 

No.  1439.  Indurated  siliceous  clay  (clay-stone),  from  the 
bluffs,  one  hundred  feet  above  low- water  mark,  at  Hickman ; 
is  somewhat  plastic  when  powdered  and  rubbed  up  with  water. 


216 


GKOLOOIOAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


No.  1440.  Siliceous  concretion,  or  soft  sandstone,  from 
the  bluff  at  Hickman,  fifty  feet  above  low  water ; slightly 
plastic  when  jiowdered  and  rubbed  up  with  water  ; adheres  to 
the  tongue. 

No.  1441.  Siliceous  concretion  from  Chickasaw  Bluff,  eight 
miles  south  of  Hickman ; a light-grey  or  dove-colored  soft 
and  porous  siliceous  rock,  adhering  to  the  tongue ; scarcely 
at  all  plastic  when  powdered  and  rubbed  up  with  water. 

No.  1442.  Soft  sandstone,  Chickasaw  Bluff,  near  the  base, 
eight  miles  south  of  Hickman ; a dull  light  yellowish-grey 
porous  soft  sandstone  ; adheres  strongly  to  the  tongue ; com- 
posed of  minute  rounded  quartzose  grains  with  whitish  cement. 

“These  siliceous  deposits  do  not  contain  enough  mineral 
fertilizing  ingredients  to  make  them  available  for  application 
to  the  soil,  nor  enough  alumina  to  constitute  a good  plastic 
clay.  Yet  they  may  be  made  useful  in  tempering  clay 
which  contains  too  much  alumina,  or  for  the  formation  of 
common  glass  and  for  scouring  purposes.  Some  of  them  are 
plastic  enough  to  enable  them  to  be  moulded,  and  the  sili- 
ceous material  is  fine  enough  in  some  to  permit  them  to  be 
used  as  ‘bath  brick’  for  household  scouring.” 

The  white  and  bluish  pipe-clays  that  occur  in  strata  in 
the  sands  of  the  Lagrange  group,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county,  are  covered  too  deeply  by  the  sands  and  loams  of 
the  Quaternary  to  be  utilized  profitably,  though  they  un- 
doubtedly would  make  splendid  ware.  So  far  as  known, 
no  outcrop  occurs  in  any  of  the  creeks  or  gullies  within  the 
county.  There  is,  in  the  bluff  of  a creek  immediately  north 
of  the  town  of  Fulton,  a small  exposure  of  a light  bluish 
jdastic  clay,  but  is  intermixed  with  yellowish  sand. 

The  gravel  of  the  bluff  at  Hickman  has  been  largely  utilized 
in  gi’ading  the  streets  of  the  town.  It  is  of  the  cementing 
variety,  being  mixed  with  iron  oxide,  clay  and  sand,  which 
rapidly  harden  on  being  packed  and  exposed  to  the  air. 

The  grey  silt,  comprising  a fifty-foot  bed  in  the  top  of  the 
bluff  at  Hickman  and  southward,  is  a fine  polishing  powder, 
and  has  also  been  used  by  dentists  as  a moulding  clay  for 
casts. 


OF  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


217 


HICKMAN  COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Hickman  now  contains  an  area  of  about  229.. 5 
square  miles,  nearly  all  of  which  is  uplands,  there  being  but 
about  twenty  miles  of  bottom  lands  within  the  Mississipi>i 
river  bottom,  including  Wolf  Island,  and  about  thirty  square 
miles  of  bottom  along  the  larger  streams.  It  originally  em- 
braced all  of  Jackson’s  Purchase,  and  was  organized  in  1821 
from  Caldwell  and  Livingston. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  and  was  orig- 
inally well  timbered,  and  is  drained  by  Obion  creek  and 
Bayou  de  Chien,  the  former  flowing  at  flrst  north-westward 
and  then  turning  nearly  abruptly  south-westward,  the  Bayou 
de  Chien  on  the  south  having  a nearly  continuous  westward 
course,  both  streams  entering  the  Mississippi  on  the  south- 
west and  not  far  apart.  The  Obion  has  very  much  the 
largest  drainage  basin  within  the  county,  the  water-divide 
being  very  near  the  Bayou  de  Chien,  and  limiting  its  northern 
tributaries  to  very  small  streams. 

The  general  level  of  the  uplands  cast  of  Clinton  is  about 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea,  falling  westward 
to  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  at  the  Clinton  depot,  and 
three  hundred  feet  at  Obion  creek,  but  rising  again  to  four 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  on  the  bluffs  at  Columbus.  Here 
there  is  an  abrupt  descent  to  the  town,  located  in  a broad 
flat  (originally  the  Mississippi  bottom)  two  hundred  and  eight 
feet  above  the  sea  or  thirty-five  feet  above  low-water. 

The  river  bottom  is  here  limited  to  a narrow  belt,  of  not 
more  than  three  miles  in  length,  by  the  bluffs  at  Columbus 
and  the  “chalk  banks”  on  the  south,  both  of  which  come 
immediately  to  the  water’s  edge.  South  of  the  latter  bluff 
the  bottom  widens  rapidly,  the  river  having  a more  south- 
westerly course,  and  the  bluff  itself  turning  south-eastward 
to  the  Obion  creek,  by  which  it  is  cut  in  two  at  McLeod’s 
bluff.  The  bottom  here  has  a width  of  about  three  miles. 

The  bluff  ridge,  forming  a sharp  water-divide  between  the 
Mississippi  bottom  on  the  west  and  the  small  tributaries  of 
the  Obion  on  the  east,  maintains  its  high  elevation  until  the 
bluff  turns  south-eastward,  when  its  summit  falls  rapidly  to 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  at  McLeod’s  bluff. 


218 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


Between  the  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien  the  uplands  ter- 
minate in  a low  blulf  not  more  than  sixty  feet  above  the 
bottom  land,  a short  distance  from  the  county  line.  Back- 
water from  extreme  hoods  in  the  Mississippi  reach  to  a 
point  south  of  Clinton  on  the  Bayou  de  Chien,  and  about 
west  of  Spring  Hill  on  the  Obion. 

The  current  of  the  Mississippi,  thrown  against  the  eastern 
banks,  has  been  rapidly  undermining  the  bluffs  on  the  north 
of  Columbus,  and  portions  are  annually  falling  in.  It  is  said 
that  in  the  spring  of  1847  seven  acres  were  carried  away. 
The  town  itself  is  also  suffering  greatly  by  the  washing 
away  of  the  river  front.  At  the  “chalk  banks”  the  indu- 
rated material  affords  greater  resistance  to  the  current,  and 
the  bluff  remains  unaffected. 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

The  entire  uplands  of  the  county  have  a superficial  de- 
posit of  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet  of  brown  loams,  which 
very  generally  hide  the  Tertiary  strata.  These  latter  are, 
however,  well  exposed  in  the  high  bluffs  at  Columbus  and 
“chalk  banks,”  and  much  light  is  thrown  on  their  occur- 
rence elsewhere  by  the  deep  wells  that  have  been  dug. 

The  Columbus  bluffs  do  not  present  a uniform  outcropping 
of  each  stratum,  and  different  characters  and  material  some- 
times appear  at  the  same  levels,  making  it  often  difficult 
to  arrive  at  a definite  conclusion  as  to  the  relations  and  posi- 
tion of  each. 

SECTION  OF  BLUFF  AT  COLUMBUS. 


Feet. 

Soil  and  subsoil. 

3 

30 

Grey  calcareous  silt  or  loess. 

30 

Coarse  gravel  with  yellow  sand  and  clay,  in  part  cemented  together. 

15 

9 

Grey,  chocolate  and  variegated  colored  stiff  clays. 

85 

Siliceous  earths  or  clays;  white  or  grey  when  dry,  but  bluish  when 
wet  or  damp;  becomes  highly  indurated  on  exposure;  incloses  lig- 
nitic  stems,  leaves,  and  pieces  of  bark. 

10 

1 

Light  grey  whitish  clay ; disappears  below  water. 

OF  HICKMAN  county. 


219 


The  lower  110  feet  of  tlie  above  belong  to  the  Tertiary, 
while  the  upper  6.5  feet  are  of  the  Quaternary.  More  recent 
deposits  occur  in  the  bottom  lands  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs. 

TERTIARY  FORMATION. 

Ligniiic  or  Lower  Eocene. — The  lignitic  strata  have  a very 
limited  exposure  within  this  county,  being  confined  to  the  two 
bluffs  at  Columbus  and  the  “chalk  banks.”  It  is  elsewhere 
replaced  or  overlaid  by  the  later,  or  Lagrange  group. 

The  siliceous  earth  or  clay  forming  the  bluff  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  ninety-five  feet  above  low-water  is,  in  places,  more 
clayey  than  in  others.  Where  freshly  uncovered,  the  ma- 
terial is  soft  and  dark  in  color,  sometimes  bluish,  and  more 
or  less  plastic.  On  drying  it  becomes  grey,  and  hardens 
into  a solid  mass,  which,  however,  is  inclined  to  crumble  when 
wet.  Large  blocks  of  this  indurated  earth  lie  at  the  foot  of 
the  bluff. 

Blackened  and  lignitic  stems  and  leaves  are  found  through- 
out the  bed,  and  are  best  shown  in  the  dried  and  hardened 
portions,  the  leaves  being  frequently  well  preserved.  A piece 
of  bark  six  inches  in  width  was  observed.  In  the  bluffs  east 
of  Columbus  an  exposure  of  this  siliceous  clay-bed  is  again 
seen. 

At  the  “chalk  banks,”  two  miles  south  of  Columbus,  where 
the  bluffs  come  to  the  water’s  edge,  this  siliceous  earth  has, 
by  its  long  exposure,  been  made  to  present  a white  appear- 
ance, and  hence  the  name  given  to  it  by  river  men.  This 
name  is,  however,  a misnomer,  and  is  apt  to  mislead,  for 
there  is  here  an  entire  absence  of  anything  resembling 
chalk.  The  bluff  is  highly  indurated,  and  presents  a bold 
face  to  the  river,  with  a dip  of  about  fifteen  degrees  to  the 
east.  The  interior  of  the  hardened  masses  is  dark  or  some- 
what bluish,  and  incloses  lignitic  sticks  and  leaves.  A small 
nut,  resembling  that  of  a beech  {Fagus),  was  found  in  one 
place. 

Lagrange  Group. — The  plastic,  white  and  variegated  clays, 
interstratified  with  sand,  have  been  referred  to  this  group, 
which  is,  so  far  as  can  be  determined,  an  intermediate  bed 
between  the  Eocene  Tertiary  and  the  Quaternary  stratified 
drift. 


220 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


In  the  Columbus  bluffs  it  is  seen  in  the  clays  that  imme- 
diately underlie  the  gravel  beds,  and  in  the  deep  beds  of 
white  sand,  with  their  associated  layers  of  clay,  that  appear 
on  the  south  of  the  Columbus  bluff  and  on  the  north  of  the 
“chalk  bank.” 

In  the  Columbus  bluff  the  sand  bank  rises  from  the  wa- 
ter’s edge  (immediately  south  of  the  Tertiary  siliceous  earth 
bluff),  to  an  elevation  of  ninety-five  feet  above  low-water, 
and  shows  plainly  the  strata  of  white  or  bluish- white  pipe- 
clay. The  sand  is  fine,  and  varies  in  color  from  white  to 
yellow.  Portions  show  beautifully  the  cross-lamination  pe- 
culiar to  the  stratified  drift.  A section  taken  from  one 
point  is  given  in  the  general  report.  (Page  54.) 

The  sand  and  clay  strata  are  here  overlaid  directly  by  a 

thick  bed  of  loess,  but  where  they  appear  elsewhere  the 

gravel  bed  is  in  place  between  them  and  the  grey  silt  or 

loess.  The  dip  of  this  group  is  to  the  east.  The  bluff, 

in  its  eastern  trend  from  this  point,  until  it  again  curves 
southward,  shows  well  the  strata.  The  deep  bed  of  white 
sand  dips  below  a series  of  purplish  clays  and  sands,  the 
former  imparting  its  color  to  the  outcropping  sand  and  giv- 
ing to  the  bluff  the  appearance  of  a large  bed  of  purple  clays. 

The  clays  are  in  layers  of  from  a few  inches  to  a foot,  or 
even  two  feet,  in  thickness,  each  separated  by  several  feet  of 
variously  colored  sand,  the  series  being  overlaid  by  the  heavy 
deposit  of  gravel  and  loam. 

At  the  “chalk  banks”  the  same  series  appears,  but  with  • 
some  blue  plastic  clay  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  or  level  of 
the  swamp  land. 

It  would  seem  that  the  Lagrange  series  of  sands  and -clays 
had  been  deposited  here  after  the  erosion  of  the  Tertiary 
strata  had  taken  place.  The  trough  or  valley  being  filled,  the 
deposition  of  the  material  was  extended  over  the  adjacent 
Eocene  clays,  as  shown  by  the  beds  immediately  below  the 
gravel. 

Eastward,  in  the  interior  of  the  county,  this  clay  and  sand 
series  is  again  reached  below  the  superficial  gravel  and  loams, 
as  appears  in  the  deepest  wells,  neither  the  blue  lignitic  clays 
or  the  siliceous  earth  of  the  Columbus  bluffs  being  anywhere 


OF  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


221 


observed.  Unfortunately  no  well  has  penetrated  deep  enough 
to  determine  the  true  thickness  of  the  strata  or  the  character 
of  the  underlying  material.  In  Clinton,  after  passing  through 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  each  of  loam  and  gravel,  sixty  feet  of  red 
and  white  sand  and  clay  strata  were  penetrated, , water  being 
obtained  in  the  white  sand  at  one  hundred  and  twelve  feet. 
An  impervious  clay  doubtless  underlies  it. 

At  Oakton,  nearer  the  bluffs,  wells  are  usually  dug  bat 
fifteen  or  tw^enty  feet,  the  water  being  from  seepage,  through 
white  and  yellow  sands.  Blue  clay  is  reached  below  the 
sand  at  fifty  feet,  and  in  one  well  was  penetrated  thirty 
feet,  no  water  being  found.  In  these  wells  no  white  clays 
were  found.  Near  Wesley,  in  the  south  western  part  of  the 
county,  a well  passed  through  twenty  feet  of  surface  loam, 
twenty- five  feet  of  red  sand,  and  fifty  feet  of  white  sand 
and  thin  white  pipe-clay  strata  of  the  Lagrange  group. 

On  the  Obion,  at  McLeod’s  bluff,  and  in  the  bluffs  between 
the  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien,  the  lowest  stratum  exposed 
is  the  bed  of  the  red  sand  below  five  feet  of  gravel  and 
about  thirty  feet  of  surface  silt. 

QUATERNARY. 

Stratified  Drift. — This  division  or  upper  stratified  drift  has 
its  greatest  thickness  of  thirty  feet  on  the  bluffs  at  Colum- 
bus and  the  “chalk  banks.” 

Its  material  is  coarse  hornstone  and  chert  gravel,  with  a 
little  small,  white  and  colored  quartz,  all  being  more  or 
less  water-worn,  but  the  latter  especially  so.  Subcarbonifer- 
ous  crinoid  stems  and  other  fossils,  also  water- worn,  are 
abundant.  Among  them  at  Columbus  were  found  several 
pieces  of  Lithostrotian  Canadense.  One  piece  of  cherty  rock 
observed  was  half  a cubic  foot  in  size,  and  weighed  twelve  or 
fifteen  pounds.  The  gravel  is  very  highly  stained  to  a bright 
red  with  iron  oxide,  and  this  color  has  given  rise  to  the 
name  “Iron  Banks,”  by  which  these  bluffs  have  been  distin- 
guished. They  are,  however,  no  more  ferruginous  than  the 
great  body  of  gravel  deposits  over  the  Purchase  region. 

The  beds  are  more  or  less  stratified  with  thin  but  not 
continuous  layers  of  red  sands.  There  is  a perceptible  in- 


222 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


clination  of  the  layers  to  the  east,  but  not  of  the  bed  itself. 
In  the  Columbus  bluff  they  present,  with  the  overlying  grey 
silt  and  loam,  a vertical  face  of  at  least  sixty  feet  down  to 
the  clay  stratum  below.  Much  is  cemented  into  a hard  con- 
glomerate by  the  clay  and  ferric  oxide.  In  the  upper  portion 
of  the  gravel  bed,  in  the  north  end  of  the  bluff,  the  stratifica- 
tion is  well  seen,  and  embraces,  below  the  superficial  silt  and 


loam,  the  following: 

Red  loamy  clay  and  gravel,  in  thin  irregular 

layers 6 feet. 

Yellow  sand,  with  lumps  of  blue  or  purple 

plastic  clay,  thinning  to  south-west  1 to  3 feet. 

Red  and  yellow  sand 3 feet. 

Heavy  gravel  bed 20  to  30  feet. 


At  the  “chalk  banks”  the  bed  is  very  similar  to  the  main 
bluff  at  Columbus;  but  at  McLeod’s  bluff,  on  the  Obion, 
there  are  but  five  feet  of  gravel  outcropping  from  beneath 
the  grey  silt  and  loam.  It  seems  to  be  largely  replaced  by 
red  sand.  It  is,  too,  at  a much  lower  level  than  the  beds 
above  described. 

Going  eastward  to  Clinton,  we  find  the  gravel  with  a thick- 
ness of  about  ten  feet ; but  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
the  bed  thins  out,  and  is  seldom  found  either  in  ravines  or  in 
wells.  Wherever  it  appears  north  of  Clinton,  as  at  Spring 
Hill  and  Cypress  post-office,  it  is  small  and  in  thin  beds, 
showing  a near  approach  to  the  limits  of  the  deposit.  East 
of  Clinton  it  is  found  in  wells  at  a depth  of  about  fifteen 
feet  on  the  uplands,  and  has  a thickness  of  about  four  feet. 
The  bluffs  of  the  Obion  show  from  two  to  four  feet  of  gravel 
above  a thick  bed  of  yellow  sand. 

There  is  much  ferruginous  sandstone  in  the  county,  vary- 
ing in  color  from  yellow  to  dark  red — chiefly  the  latter.  The 
most  noted  locality  is  that  of  the  -quarry  about  five  miles 
east  of  Clinton,  on  the  north  brakes  of  Bayou  de  Chien.  The 
sandstone  is  made  up  of  coarse  grains  of  a clear  hyaline  sand 
cemented  together  with  ferric  oxide,  forming  ledges  as  much 
as  six  feet  in  thickness,  much  of  it  hard  and  durable,  other 
portions  soft  and  easily  crushed.  The  rock  is  specked 
throughout  by  small  grains  of  white  cherty  material. 


OK  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


223 


The  rock  is  used  in  Clinton  as  supports  for  frame  buildings, 
being  easily  quarried  and  dressed. 

Bluff  Loam  and  Silt. — This  upper  division  of  the  Quater- 
nery  is  well  observed  in  the  Columbus  blulfs,  where,  with  a 
thickness  of  thirty  feet  or  more,  it  overlies  the  gravel  bed, 
forming  at  one  place  part  of  a vertical  exposure. 

The  grey  silt  or  loess  has  a thickness  of  about  twenty-five 
feet,  changing  below  to  a more  clayey  and  brownish  loam, 
five  feet  in  thickness,  the  lower  two  feet  of  which  contains 
usually  a few  scattered  rounded  quartz  gravel.  It  has  the 
calcareous  and  concretionary  nature  that  characterizes  it  else- 
where, but  at  this  point  does  not  contain  the  great  numbers 
of  fresh  water  and  land  shells  that  are  found  at  Hickman, 
Fulton  county. 

In  a deep  cut  on  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.,  east  of  Columbus, 
the  grey  silt  is  prominently  exposed,  and  in  it  have  been 
found  abundantly,  and  sometimes  well  preserved,  shells  be- 
longing to  the  species  Helix,  Helicina,  Mesodon,  Succinia, 
Patula,  Cyclas,  Planorhis,  Limnea,  etc.  (See  page  78.) 
These  shells  are  especially  abundant  in  a bluish  silt  at  the 
south  end  of  the  cut,  which  also  contains  very  numerous 
reddish  and  cylindrical  concretionary  forms  with  small  cen- 
tral holes,  as  if  once  occupied  by  rootlets ; also  seams  of 
ferruginous  clay  holding  many  of  the  shells.  The  small 
forms  are  best  preserved,  the  large  ones  being  very  gener- 
ally broken  or  crushed.  They  are  found  also  in  the  rail- 
road cut  between  Columbus  and  South  Columbus  junction. 

The  formation  lies  chiefly  along  the  bluffs  that  border 
the  Mississippi  river  bottom  from  Columbus  southward  to 
the  Obion  at  McLeod’s  bluff,  where  a thickness  of  about 
thirty  feet  is  observed  above  about  eight  feet  of  light  loam 
and  clay.  Still  southward,  between  the  Obion  and  Bayou 
de  Chien,  the  silt  was  not  found,  the  bluffs  being  formed 
or  capped  by  the  brown  loam. 

Eastward  from  the  line  of  bluffs  the  silt  was  found  to  ex- 
tend nearly  to  the  Obion  creek  on  the  Columbus  and  Clinton 
road. 

As  seen  by  the  analysis  of  a sample  from  the  M.  & O.  R.  R. 


224 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


cut  near  Columbus,  the  silt  is  rich  in  carbonate  of  lime  and 
magnesia.  The  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  were  not  deter- 
mined, but  analyses  of  the  same  formation  in  Fulton  county 
and  in  Tennessee  show  the  presence  of  1.7  per  cent,  of  pot- 
ash (Page  79.) 

The  hills  in  which  this  silt  occurs  are  marked  by  a heavy 
growth  of  white  oak,  hickory,  poplar,  black  walnut,  black 
and  red  oaks,  black  and  sweet  gums,  persimmon,  and  a lit- 
tle maple,  dogwood,  elm,  etc. 

A cane  undergrowth  once  prevailed  on  the  bluffs,  but  is  . 
kept  down  by  the  grazing  of  stock.  These  hills  are  a con- 
tinuation of  what  are  known  as  the  cane  hills  of  Louisiana, 
Mississippi  and  Tennessee. 

Brown  Loam. — On  the  east  of  the  Obion,  and  covering 
the  rest  of  the  county,  the  stratum  of  more  clayey  loam 
is  the  prevailing  deposit  immediately  over  the  gravel  beds. 

It  is  here  a stiff  and  tenacious  material,  permeated  with 
seams  of  what  appears  to  be  a whitish  silt,  and  having  a 
thickness  of  about  twenty  feet.  The  upper  two  feet  is  of  a 
more  reddish  loam,  loose  and  homogeneous,  especially  where 
good  drainage  is  had. 

This  loam  was  dej)osited  upon  the  beds  of  gravel  in  layers 
of  apparently  even  thicknesses,  regardless  of  the  irregular 
surface  of  the  latter.  This  is  often  well  shown  in  cuts  where 
the  gravel  is  covered  evenly  on  top  and  on  the  sides  of  the 
hill.  Subsequent  denudation  has  added  to  the  unevenness 
of  the  surface  of  the  deposit. 

Port  Hudson  Group. — This  formation,  more  recent  than  the 
stratified  drift,  occurs  in  this  county  only  below  the  alluvial 
deposits  of  the  Mississippi,  its  outcrop  being  observed  along 
the  river  banks.  It  is  also  reached  in  wells  in  the  bottom 
lands  and  at  a depth  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  below  the 
surface. 

It  is  well  exposed  in  the  river  banks  at  Columbus,  where 
a section  presents  the  following  strata: 


Very  recent  ..  \ loam..... 4 inches. 

" ( Black  clay,  gravel,  glass,  etc 8 inches. 


OF  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


225 


Alluvial 


Dark  sandy  alluvial  loam 15  inches. 

Black  sandy  alluvial  loam 8 inches. 


" Stiff  yellow  clay,  sandy  and  crumb- 
ling, and  having  seams  of  lighter 


Pori  Hudson.  - 


sand 

Heavy  crumbling  black  clay,  stiffer 

than  the  above 

The  same  as  the  last,  but  a deeper 
blue,  and  holding  white  calcareous 
concretions,  to  water’s  edge 


8 feet. 
3 feet. 


6 feet. 


The  clay  of  the  last  stratum  is  very  plastic,  smooth  and 
mottled  in  color.  Cypress  stumps  standing  erect  are  a promi- 
nent feature  of  this  clay  bed  below  Columbus,  and  are -cov- 
ered by  the  alluvial  deposits.  One  of  the  stumps  is  said 
to  have  been  fifteen  feet  in  circumference.  The  tops  of  the 
stumps  appear  on  nearly  a horizontal  line. 

The  beds  extend  southward  into  Fulton  county.  Just 
south  of  “chalk  banks”  the  blue  clay  contains  many  frag- 
ments of  lignite,  or  similar  woody  pieces.  Much  yellow 
and  white  concretions  also  occur,  and  cypress  stumps  are  a 
prominent  feature. 


ECONOMIC  FEATUEES. 

Potter’’ s Clay,  Etc. — The  clays  that  form  so  prominent  a 
feature  in  the  Columbus  and  other  bluffs  bordering  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  have  been  subjected  to  analyses  and  tests  as 
given  in  the  general  report.  (Page  102.)  They  embrace  the 
following : 

No.  129.  White  earth;  base  of  “chalk  banks,”  two  miles 
below  Columbus;  color,  light  grey;  it  has  rather  a harsh 
feel,  and  adheres  to  the  tongue;  dried  at  212°  F.,  it  lost 
five  per  cent,  of  moisture. 

No.  2161.  Clay  from  “chalk  bank,”  two  miles  below 
Columbus ; light  buff  and  lead  grey  color ; has  a few  ferru- 
ginous impressions  of  vegetable  leaves ; seems  to  be  quite 
sandy,  yet  is  quite  plastic  and  burns  hard,  and  of  a very 
light  cream  color.  It  is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe, 
only  sintering  a little.  On  washing  the  air-dried  clay  with 

GEOL.  SUR. — 15 


226 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGUICULTUKAL  FEATURES 


water,  it  left  about  69  per  cent,  of  a very  fine  sand,  of  a drab- 
color,  containing  a few  very  small  spangles  of  mica. 

No.  2162.  Clay  from  the  bluffs  at  Columbus;  almost 
while  ; quite  sandy  and  quite  plastic ; burns  hard,  to  a light 
cream  color,  and  is  quite  refractory  before  the  blow-piije. 
The  air-dried  clay  washed  in  water  left  68.5  per  cent,  of 
fine  sand  of  a light  grey  color,  nearly  white,  which  is  com- 
posed of  very  small  rounded  grains  of  quartz,  with  a few 
small  specks  of  mica. 

No.  127.  White  earth ; from  the  white  deposit  of  the 
bluffs  at  Columbus.  A nearly  white,  fine,  granular,  solt 
mass,  easily  crushed  with  the  lingers  to  a fine  granular 
powder. 

No.  — . White  earth  overlying  the  siliceous  earth  or  No. 
127,  of  the  bluff  at  Columbus. 

Dr.  Peter  makes  the  following  comment  on  some  of  the 
analytical  results:  No  doubt  No.  2162,  if  it  will  burn  hard 
enough,  would  make  quite  refractory  fire-brick;  and  it,  as 
well  as  that  from  the  “chalk  banks,”  might  be  made  avail- 
able for  terra-cotta  and  other  forms  of  pottery  ware.  No. 
2162  is  less  refractory,  because,  doubtless,  of  its  larger  pro- 
portions of  iron  peroxide  and  potash*. 

A comparison  between  these  and  the  celebrated  glass-pot 
clay  of  Grermany  shows  that  the  main  difference  is  in  a larger 
proportion  of  potash  in  the  Hickman  county  clays.  Whether 
this  would  be  fatal  to  the  application  of  these  refractory 
clays  in  the  glass  works,  is  a question  worthy  of  a practical 
trial  on  a small  scale. 

Nos.  127  and  129  contain  much  less  potash  than  those  re- 
marked by  Dr.  Peter,  and  unless  the  large  amounts  of  lime 
and  magnesia  would  prove  injurious,  would  seem  to  be  even 
more  suitable  for  the  purj^yoses  named. 

The  clays  above  analyzed  belong  to  the  Tertiary  beds 
proper.  Those  of  the  Lagrange  group,  appearing  ’as  white 
plastic  strata  in  the  heavy  beds  of  white  sand,  have  not 
been  analyzed.  They  would  doubtless  make  good  iron-stone 
ware.  For  the  ordinary  pottery  they  are  too  intractable, 
and  would  require  the  admixture  of  a more  siliceous  clay 
in  order  to  be  readily  worked  up  into  a homogeneous  mass. 


OF  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


227 


Such  plastic  clays  occur  in  the  bluff  east  of  Columbus,  where 
they  can  be  easily  and  cheaply  obtained. 

Two  potteries  have  been  in  operation  in  Columbus  for  some 
time.  They  use  a blue  clay  from  the  base  of  the  sand  and 
clay  bluff  just  north  of  the  ‘‘chalk  banks.”  It  is,  however, 
obtained  with  difficulty,  and  only  during  low- water  seasons 
in  the  river.  It  is  easily  worked  or  kneaded,  and  makes 
good  pottery.  Clays  are  also  brought  from  Wickliffe,  in 
Ballard  county. 

Sand. — The  white  sand  of  the  Lagrange  group,  which  at 
Columbus  and  the  “chalk  banks”  forms  high  bluffs,  is  nearly 
white,  and  contains  some  fine  particles  of  clay.  It  has  in 
places  a purple  color.  The  grains  of  sand  are  of  hyaline 
quartz  and  rounded.  When  washed  in  water,  99.4  per  cent, 
of  nearly  pure  white  sand  remains. 

“The  sand  is  doubtless  pure  enough  for  the  manufacture 
of  any  but  the  very  finest  of  glass.” 

It  is  often  shipped  per  railroad  to  Union  City  and  other 
points. 

Gravel. — The  gravel  of  the  bluffs  around  Columbus  is  of 
the  cementing  character,  which  makes  it  useful  for  grading 
streets  and  roads,  and  is  being  used  for  that  purpose  in 
Columbus.  The  beds  are  very  thick  and  the  gravel  easily 
accessible.  Instead  of  ferruginous  clays,  a red  sand  accom- 
panies the  gravel  in  some  places  and  impairs  its  usefulness. 

East  of  Columbus  the  gravel  is  not  exposed  in  sufficient 
thickness  and  quantity  to  make  profitable  its  removal  to 
desired  points. 

AGEICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

The  uplands  of  the  county,  comprising  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  its  area,  and,  therefore,  almost  exclusively  the  agri- 
cultural portion,  lie  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  bottom  lands  of  the  streams,  the  bluffs  at  Columbus  hav- 
ing an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the 
Mississippi  bottom. 

Large  areas  of  this  upland  are  level  or  slightly  rolling, 
presenting  fine  farming  tracts  which  have  already  been 
largely  inclosed  and  under  cultivation. 


228 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


Cane  Hills  or  Bluff  Land. — From  the  edges  of  the  bluffs 
that  face  the  Mississippi  bottom  southward  from  Columbus 
to  Obion  creek,  the  surface  of  the  country  slopes  eastward, 
and  is  very  broken  and  washed  into  deep  ravines  and  gul- 
lies by  the  streams  that  flow  from  the  bluff  eastward  to  the 
creek.  This  drainage  feature  of  the  river  bluffs  is  charac- 
teristic throughout  their  extent.  Upon  the  high  bluffs  them- 
selves are  some  large  farms,  but  the  rest  is  almost  too  uneven 
for  successful  cultivation,  except  in  small  areas. 

This  region  is  underlaid  by  the  fine  calcareous  grey  silts  of 
the  bluff  formation,  and  has  a fine  timber  growth  of  walnut, 
poplar,  maple,  hickory,  white  oak,  sweet  gum,  papaw,  grape- 
vines and  cane. 

The  soils  are  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  crops  of  corn 
and  wheat. 

Brown  Loam  Uplands. — The  Obion  creek,  in  its  varied 
course  across  the  eastern,  northern  and  western  parts  of  the 
county,  is  bordered  on  each  side  by  a strip  of  country  sev- 
eral miles  in  width,  which  is  much  broken  by  the  many 
tributaries  of  that  stream.  Through  the  central  part  of  the 
county,  from  two  or  three  miles  west  of  Clinton  eastward 
nearly  to  the  county  line,  and  at  the  heads  of  the  Obion 
tributaries,  there  is  a plateau  some  three  or  four  miles  wide 
and  about  ten  long,  having  a rolling  surface,  and  very  gen- 
erally under  fence  or  cultivation.  Its  elevation  above  the 
Mississippi  bottom  is  about  one  hundred  feet.  Ravines  and 
gullies  occasionally  cut  deeply  into  its  surface,  giving  good 
drainage  facilities  to  its  flat  lands. 

On  the  south  it  is  bordered  by  the  westerly  flowing  Bayou 
de  Chien,  whose  tributaries  give  rise  to  another  broken  belt 
of  country  along  the  southern  border  of  the  county. 

A large  proportion  of  these  broken  sections  along  both  this 
stream  and  Obion  creek  afford  large  areas  of  fine  farming 
lands,  having  easy  drainage  facilities. 

The  brown  loam  lands  cover  the  greater  part  of  the  county 
and  overlie  the  lighter  clayey  deposits,  which  reach  to  a 
depth  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet. 

The  soil,  when  well  drained,  is  light,  porous  and  very  fer- 
tile, the  surface  darkened  by  decayed  vegetation  to  the 


OF  HICKMAN  COUNTY. 


229 


depth  of  but  an  incli  or  two.  The  subsoil  differs  only  in 
being  a brighter  yellow,  and  perhaps  a little  more  claye^^ 
'rhe  growth  comprises  white  and  red  oaks,  hickory,  persim- 
mon and  sassafras.  On  level  tracks  of  land,  where  no  drainage 
facilities  are  had,  the  soil  becomes  glady  or  whitish,  the  result 
of  leaching  by  standing  water,  and  there  is  an  abundance  of 
a small  soft  gi’avel  or  bog  iron  ore  (with  a light-colored  sur- 
face, and  brown  or  even  black  interior)  in  the  subsoil.  Such 
spots  are  found  in  all  flat  lands  of  large  area,  and  need 
only  drainage  and  deep  tillage,  with  application  of  manures 
(to  restore  lost  plant  food),  to  make  them  as  good  as  the 
rest.  The  bog  iron  ore  or  gravel  is  the  result  of  the  leach- 
ing, the  iron,  etc.,  being  obtained  at  the  expense  of  the  soil. 
The  lands  wash  badly  into  gullies,  and  efforts  are  seldom 
made  to  counteract  this  by  proper  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

But  one  analysis  has  been  made  of  the  upland  soils,  and 
this  is  given  in  the  general  report.  (Page  159.) 

In  this  there  is  a fair  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  (0.156), 
vegetable  matter  (4.140),  and  lime  (0.495),  but  a surprisingly 
small  amount  of  potash  (0.182),  in  presence  of  so  much  lime, 
especially  as  the  insoluble  portion  of  the  soil  retains  so  large 
a percentage.  The  soda  is  excessive  (0.564.) 

The  soil  altogether  has  more  the  character  of  those  derived 
from  the  calcareous  silt  of  the  bluff  than  those  of  the  brown 
loam  that  cover  the  country  east  of  Obion  creek.  The  latter 
usually  have  very  little  lime  and  phosphoric  acid. 

The  crops  of  the  county  uplands  are  chiefly  corn  and  wheat 
the  yield  being  about  forty  bushels  of  the  former  and  fifteen 
of  wheat  per  acre. 

Very  little  tobacco  is  produced,  except  in  the  central  and 
eastern  parts  of  the  county,  its  yield  being  about  eight  hun- 
dred pounds  per  acre.  Clover  grows  luxuriantly,  yielding 
it  is  claimed,  two  tons  per  acre  and  two  crops  per  year. 
Some  cotton  has  been  raised,  but  not  profitably. 

• Bottom  Lands. — The  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi  are 
subject  to  overflow,  and  are  in  cultivation  only  south  of  the 
“chalk  banks.”  The  soil  is  a rich  alluvial  loam,  easily 
tilled,  and  having  a heavy  timber  growth  of  walnut,  pecan, 


230 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


oaks,  sycamore,  cottonwood,  cypress,  hackberry,  etc.  The 
bottom  is  interspei'sed  with  numerous  sloughs  and  ponds. 

The  bottom  lands  of  Obion  and  Bayou  de  Gliien  are  from 
a half  mile  to  one  and  a half  miles  in  width,  and  are  tim- 
bered with  beech,  white  and  red  oaks,  walnut,  cypress,  elm, 
poplar,  and  sweet  gum.  There  is  also  some  sweet  brier  and 
cane  undergrowth. 

The  soil  is  mostly  a whitish  heavy  clay,  crawtishy  in  na- 
ture, and  difficult  to  till.  It  is  best  suited  for  grasses,  which 
yield  fine  crops.  Some  of  the  lands,  however,  are  under  cul- 
tivation in  corn. 

An  analysis  has  been  made  of  a white  or  light-grey  soil 
of  Bayou  de  Chien  bottom  at  Moscow.  (Page  148.)  It  con 
tains  about  79  per  cent,  of  rounded  grains  of  clear  quartz 
and  some  irregular  bog  iron  ore  concretions.  In  this  soil 
there  is  a fair  percentage  of  lime  (l.lfi)  and  phosphoric  acid 
(0.13),  but  the  potash  (0.17)  is  low  for  so  clayey  a soil. 
The  organic  matter  (2.00)  is  also  very  small.  However,  with 
good  drainage  and  tillage,  the  soil  should  produce  well  for  a 
few  years. 


BALLARD  COUNTY. 

Ballard  county  was  organized  in  1842  from  the  counties  of 
Hickman  and  McCracken.  It  has  an  area  of  426.2  square 
miles,  about  sixty  miles  of  which  are  comprised  in  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  bottom  lands. 

The  bottoms  along  the  Ohio  river  vary  in  width  from  about 
a mile  at  Ogden’s  landing  to  two  or  more  miles  south-west- 
ward at  Terrell’s  landing;  the  bluffs  thence  have  nearly  a 
due  south  course  to  Wickliffe,  and  the  river,  in  its  south- 
west course,  is  bordered  by . a bottom  of  nearly  five  miles 
in  width  on  the  Kentucky  side.  The  bottom  lands  of  the 
Mississippi,  from  Wickliffe  south  to  Columbus,  vary  in 
width  from  one- fourth  of  a mile  to  about  three  miles,  due 
to  the  winding  course  of  the  river  and  the  regular  south- 
ward trend  of  the  bluffs. 


OF  HALLAUD  COUNTY. 


231 


The  bottom  lands  of  Mayfield  creek  are  about  a mile  in 
width,  those  of  smaller  streams  being  from  one-fourth  and 
less  to  one-half  mile. 

The  bottom  lands  of  the  two  rivers  are  interspersed  with 
ponds  and  lakes,  long  and  narrow,  which  are  usually  con- 
nected by  sloughs  in  courses  parallel  with  the  rivers,  the 
entire  system  indicating  the  course  of  former  currents  which, 
sweeping  over  these  bottom  lands,  cut  away  the  uplands  to 
their  present  very  regular  westward  limits,  which  are  marked 
by  high  and  abrupt  bluffs.  Low  sand  ridges,  also  parallel 
with  the  streams,  lie  within  the  bottoms,  and  are  formed 
by  dejiosits  on  either  side  of  currents  of  water  during  the 
river  floods.  These  ridges  afford  almost  the  only  farming 
lands  of  the  bottoms,  being  elevated  above  all  but  extreme 
high-water,  which  yearly  covers  the  lower  lands. 

The  uplands  of  the  county  present  a variety  of  features 
of  much  interest,  topographically  as  well  as  agriculturally. 
With  an  extreme  length  north  and  south  of  thirty  miles,  the 
county  is  divided  unevenly  by  Mayfield  creek  flowing  almost 
due  west  from  the  McCracken  county  line  to  the  Mississippi 
river.  This  stream  is  almost  entirely  supplied  by  the  waters 
of  that  section  of  the  county  known  as  South  Ballard,  Little 
Mayfield  creek  being  the  main  tributary.  A small  part  of 
South  Ballard  is  drained  by  Obion  creek,  which  bends  around 
into  this  county  for  a short  distance. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Mayfield  creek  its  basin  is  very 
narrow,  and  after  passing  beyond  the  immediate  bluffs,  we 
find  the  northern  part  of  the  county  drained,  in  part,  by 
Shawnee  creek  flowing  westward,  by  Humphrey’s  creek  flow- 
ing north-westward,  and  by  Clanton  creek,  with  at  first  a 
northward  and  then  a westward  course,  into  the  Ohio. 

South  of  the  mouth  of  Mayfield  creek  the  bluffs  that  face 
the  Mississippi  river  bottoms  form  another  divide,  abrupt  on 
the  west,  but  sloping  more  gradually  eastward  and  from 
almost  its  edge,  throwing  the  streams  in  that  direction  into 
the  tributaries  of  Mayfield  creek.  This  is  the  most  northern 
occurrence  of  a feature  that  marks  the  eastern  bluffs  of  the 
Mississippi  river  through  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi and  into  Louisiana,  the  large  rivers  alone  having  sue- 


232 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


ceeded  in  piercing  this  bluff  barrier.  On  the  north  of 
Mayfield  creek  the  high  bluffs  continue  for  a few  miles 
toward  the  north,  but  are  not  as  abrujit  as  on  the  south, 
and  their  continuity  is  broken  by  numerous  small  streams. 

The  bottoms  at  Ogden’s  landing,  on  the  extreme  north, 
have  an  approximate  elevation  of  315  feet  above  the  sea. 
They  are  bordered  on  the  south  by  a very  level  jilateau  or 
flatwoods  elevated  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  feet  above  them, 
which  reaches  south  for  six  miles,  its  limit  extending  east- 
ward along  Humphrey’s  creek  to  Oscar  post-office,  and  north- 
east two  miles  north  of  Woodville.  From  these  flats  the 
country  again  rises  rather  suddenly,  in  places,  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  up  to  the  true  uplands 
of  the  county.  Hinkleville  and  Barlow  have  respectively 
appproximate  elevations  of  four  hundred  and  fifteen  and 
four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the  sea,  while  south, 
on  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  Mayfield  and  Hum- 
phrey’s creeks,  there  is  an  altitude  of  about  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet.  ^ 

Still  southward,  we  come  suddenly  to  the  brakes  and  ab- 
rupt bluffs  of  Mayfield  creek,  rising  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  at  Wickliffe,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  at  Blandville,. 
to  about  one  hundred  feet  at  Lovelaceville,  above  the  bot- 
toms. After  passing  the  wide  bottoms  of  the  creek  we  do 
not  find  any  bluffs,  but  the  country  gradually  rises  south- 
ward to  Milburn,  which  seems  to  have  an  altitude  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  above  the  sea,  or  fifty  feet  above 
the  bluffs  at  Columbus,  and  is  the  highest  point  in  the  county. 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

Tertiary. — The  Ohio  river  on  the  north  sweeps  along  the 
base  of  the  uplands  on  the  Illinois  shore,  and  exposes  the 
Quaternary  material,  and,  in  places,  the  Tertiary  black  or 
dark-grey  clays,  there  being  on  the  Kentucky  side  only  a 
broad  and  low  bottom  land. 

At  the  Grand  Chain  are  also  exposed  the  flinty  limestones 
of  the  Lower  Subcarboniferous.,  which  outcrop  only  at  low- 
water  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  do  not  appeir  at 
all  in  the  country  south,  this  being  the  limit  of  the  s!:c,,  < 


OF  BALLARD  COUNTY. 


233 


Subcarboniferous  rocks  that  underlies  tlie  Illinois  Tertiary 
and  Quaternary  beds.  At  Caledonia  to  westward  the  lower 
portion  of  the  bluffs  are  composed  of  the  heavy  joint  Ter- 
tiary clays,  which  are  black  when  wet  but  grey  when  dry^ 
and  crumble  into  small  slialy  fragments.  They  are  under- 
laid by  a bed  of  greensand  from  two  to  four  feet  thick. 

In  Ballard  county,  the  lowest  strata  observed  was  that  of 
the  black  or  grey  lignitic  clay  and  lignite  beds  overlying 
dark  sandy  clays.  The  beds  are  best  seen  in  the  cut  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  just  south  of  Wickliffe,  an  expo- 
sure being  made  by  the  removal  of  a long  portion  of  the 
high  bluff  on  the  east  of  the  railroad. 


BLUFF  ONE  MILE  SOUTH  OF  WICKLIFFE. 


Feet. 

Light  grey  silt  or  loess. 

12 

>- 

< 3 

Brown  loam  (silty)  with  small  quartz  pebbles. 

ae  1 
< 

15 

Rounded  and  angular  chert  and  hornstone  gravel. 

10 

1 

Coarse  red  sand. 

f = \ 

XP  1 

S')  ^ 

5c  1 

1 

Interlaminated  red  and  white  clays  and  sands,  two  inches  each 

i 5 

Dark  massive  lignitic  clay. 

^ I 

a 1 -J 

Ml  => 

Lignitic  peat. 

i 

1 25 

Massive  dark  clays  plastic  and  sometimes  with  leaf  impres 
sions  to  railroad  track. 

I I 


The  limit  of  exposure  of  the  formation  is  from  Wickliffe 
east  to  Blandville,  southeast  to  Milburn  and  back  to  Lake- 
ton,  seven  miles  south  of  Wickliflv,  thus  forming  a triangle, 


234 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


with  its  base  resting  on  the  river  and  its  apex  at  Milburn. 
Outside  of  this  area  I have  been  unable  to  find  any  out- 
crops, or  to  learn  of  the  clays  having  been  struck  in  the 
deepest  wells.  It  has  apparently  been  swept  away  by  cur- 
rents, and  its  place  occupied  by  the  later  Lagrange  sands 
and  clays.  They  are  overlaid  by  Quaternary  material  and  by 
a thin  representation  of  the  Lagrange  group. 

The  lignitic  clays  vary  from  a dark  to  whitish  color,  and 
contain  more  or  less  lignite,  besides  the  bed  of  lignite  itself, 
and  in  places  an  abundance  of  leaf  impressions. 

The  lignite  bed  possesses  varied  characters,  and  is  doubt- 
less a lignitic  peat  bed.  The  upper  twelve  inches  is  light 
grey  or  brown,  and  shaly,  containing  probably  very  little 
combustible  matter.  The  next  twelve  inches  is  a black  mass, 
composed  of  srtiall  woody  fragments,  leaves,  etc.,  all  lignitic 
and  easily  broken  up.  It  contains  much  selenite  in  crystals, 
as  does  the  upper  bed.  This  in  turn  overlies  what  seems  to 
be  originally  a bed  of  peat,  without  fragments  of  sticks,  but 
a fine,  indurated  or  compressed  mass,  brownish  in  color,  very 
light  when  dry,  and  cracking  if  exposed  to  the  sun  or  heat 
in  drying.  It  is  about  a foot  thick.  It  contains  from  twen- 
ty-three to  thirty-seven  per  cent,  of  combustible  matter  as 
shown  by  the  analysis  on  page  122.  Under  it  is  another  bed 
of  black  lignite  in  stick  fragments,  leaves,  etc.,  similar  to  the 
upper  bed.  The  entire  bed  was  well  exposed  for  several 
hundred  yards  by  the  removal  of  a portion  of  the  bluff  by 
the  railroad  steam  shovel,  forming  a long  black  line  in  the 
lighter  colored  material. 

In  the  base  of  the  bluff  and  below  the  railroad  track  there 
is  another  bed  of  the  lignite  thought  to  be  six  feet  thick. 
It  was  exposed  in  a culvert  under  the  track,  and  at  one, 
time  caught  fire,  burning  or  smouldering,  it  is  said,  for  six; 
months.  It  is  now  covered,  and  no  opportunity  was  afforded 
for  examination. 

Going  eastward  from  the  cut,  we  find  the  lignite  outcrop- 
ping in  the  beds  of  the  streams  and  deep  ravines  for  a mile, 
though  usually  immediately  covered  by  debris  of  gravel. 
The  accompanying  plastic  clays  also  appear. 

The  beds  of  lignite,  etc.,  at  Wickliffe,  are  about  three- 


OF  HALLAKD  COUNTY. 


235 


fourths  of  a mile  east  of  tlie  Columbus  bluffs  in  a due  north 
and  south  course,  and  the  slight  easterly  dip  of  the  latter, 
if  not  interrupted,  would  bring  them  much  below  the  Wick- 
lilfe  lignite  beds. 

In  the  bank  of  the  branch  that  runs  by  the  spoke- factory, 
in  the  south  part  of  town,  the  clays  are  overlaid  at  ten  feet 
by  a thin  bed  of  black  lignite  about  a foot  thick.  On  going 
up  the  creek  one-fourth  of  a mile,  a clay-stone  is  exposed 
in  a bed  six  to  eight  feet  above  the  water’s  edge,  and  prob- 
ably passing  below  it.  The  clay- stone  is  of  a dark,  creamy 
white  color,  breaking  into  many  fragments,  thinly  laminated, 
and  holding  very  many  fossil  leaf  impressions,  some  of  the 
species  of  which  are  given  in  Appendix  If  of  the  general 
report. 

Its  position  is  below  the  lignitic  beds,  and  probably  syn- 
cronous  with  the  leaf-bearing  silicious  earths  of  the  Columbus 
bluffs. 

In  the  region  of  Bland ville,  seven  miles  east  of  Wickliffe, 
the  upper  bed  of  lignite  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of  a branch 
or  deep  ravine  in  the  south  western  part  of  town,  and  is 
very  similar  to  the  exposure  near  Wickliffe,  except  that 
there  is  here  an  absence  of  the  light  shaly  material  that 
forms  the  upper  layer  of  the  Wickliffe  bed.  There  is  also 
an  absence  of  selenite.  In  one  place  the  Blandville  bed  is 
very  highly  charged  with  iron  pyrites  in  black  pieces,  in 
sizes  from  a pea  to  sheets  of  several  inches  surface,  and 
when  broken  presents  a bright  silvery  appearance.  This 
pyritous  feature  is,  however,  local,  for  at  another  exposure 
near  the  lignite  was  very  free  from  it.  - 

As  at  Wickliffe,  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of  the  lig- 
nite are  black  and  in  layers,  holding  stick  fragments,  leaves, 
etc.,  but  in  the  center  the  mass  is  more  of  a lignitic  peat,  of 
a brownish  color,  and  compact. 

Another  bed  of  lignite  occurs  one  and  a half  miles  south- 
west of  Blandville,  and  doubtless  the  bed  underlies  the  entire 
ridge  or  upland  between  Blandville  and  Wickliffe. 

Going  south  from  Wickliffe,  on  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.,  the 
road  lies  through  Mayfield  creek  bottom,  and  nothing  is  seen 
until  after  passing  the  steam  sliovel  excavations  on  the  south 


236 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


of  the  creek.  From  there  to  Laketon  the  black  leaf-bearing 
clays  are  frequently  exposed  in  the  bluffs  on  the  east  of  the 
road,  and  in  the  few  small  cuts  that  are  passed  through  at 
the  foot  of  the  bluffs.  A bed  of  lignite  similar  to  the  one 
at  Wickliffe  is  seen  a short  distance  south  of  the  creek,  and 
about  twenty  feet  above  the  track,  and  underlaid  by  the 
plastic  clay.  The  bluffs  here  are  about  one  hundred  feet 
high,  composed  mostly  of  Quaternary  material.  South  of  the 
lignite,  the  cuts  show  ten  feet  of  the  leaf-bearing  clays  un- 
derlaid by  interlaminated  sands  and  lignitic  clays.  Adams’ 
cut  especially  presents  a good  exposure,  the  coarse  yellow 
sands  and  sand-rock  forming  the  u^iper  part  of  the  bank, 
while  beneath  is  a dark,  black  plastic  clay  inclosing  a great 
abundance  of  leaves  and  some  lignite.  Eight  feet  of  the  clay 
is  exposed,  though  it  extends  probably  very  much  deeper. 
It  is  lighter  colored  on  drying  and  becomes  shaly.  Its  expo- 
sure is  about  one.  hundred  feet  in  length. 

In  the  cut  immediately  north  of  Laketon  the  dark  leaf- 
bearing clay  contains  much  white  sand  in  thin  laminae,  and 
is  exposed  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  Heavy  beds  of  yellow 
and  white  sands  and  ferruginous  sandstone  overlie  it.  This 
is  tke  southern  limit  of  the  exposure  of  black  clays,  and 
southward  to  Columbus  we  find  only  the  group  of  heavy 
sand  beds  with  layers  of  pipe-clay  that  belongs  to  the  La- 
grange series. 

Lagrange  Group. — That  the  surface  of  the  lignite  forma- 
tion was,  after  its  deposition,  very  much  corroded,  is  shown 
in  the  exposures  along  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.  south  from  Wick- 
liffe, and  especially  south  of  Mayfield  creek.  Near  Laketon 
the  Lagrange  sands  and  clays  begin  to  appear. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  county  no  outcrops  or  expos- 
ures of  the  lignite  clays  could  be  found.  The  grey  “soap- 
stones” or  shaly  joint  clays  of  the  lower  portion  of  the 
group  that  form  the  high  bluffs  at  Caledonia,  and  are  ex- 
posed so  frequently  over  that  portion  of  Illinois  lying  south 
of  Cache  river,  seem  to  be  entirely  absent,  unless  they  under- 
lie the  flatwoods  along  the  Ohio  bottom  land.  This  I believe 
to  be  true ; for  wells  in  that  region  derive  their  waters  from 
Quaternary  sands,  which  would  indicate  the  presence  of  a 


OF  BALLAIID  COUNTY. 


237 


heavy  impervious  clay-bed  beneath,  on  wliich  the  water  Hows. 

Tlie  lignite  beds  reach  north  from  Wickliffe  for  a mile  or 
more,  and  are  found  outcropping  in  the  bank  of  a branch 
between  beds  of  a highly  plastic  clay.  The  bed  of  lignite  is 
only  about  a foot  in  thickness. 

About  half  way  between  Laketon  and  Berkeley  there  is  an 
exposure  of  white  and  purplish  clays  in  alternating  strata 
with  a tine  and  white  sand,  the  latter  varying  in  thickness 
from  a few  inches  to  a foot,  while  the  clay  is  usually  but  a 
few  inches.  The  lowest  bed  of  the  latter  is  prettily  mottled, 
white  and  purple  in  color,  and  is  a foot  thick.  It  is  jointed 
in  structure;  on  drying,  crumbles  to  a shale,  and  between 
the  teeth  is  not  harsh.  A yellow  sand  underlies  it  and 
passes  out  of  sight  below  the  railroad  track. 

Eastward  from  Berkeley  to  Arlington,  and  beyond  toward 
Milburn,  the  country  is  not  broken  enough,  and  the  ravines 
not  sufficiently  deep  to  reveal  the  underlying  formations.  In 
the  deepest  wells  water  is  found  in  white  sand  far  below  the 
level  of  the  black  clay,  which  is  exposed  two  and  a half 
miles  west  of  Milburn,  and  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  here  it 
has  been  removed,  and  its  place  now  occupied  by  the  mate- 
rials of  the  Lagrange  group. 

In  the  region  of  Barlow  and  Hinkleville,  north  of  Wick- 
liffe and  to  the  flatwoods,  the  country  is  high  and  rolling, 
and  no  exposures  of  clays  were  found. 

In  wells,  water  is  usually  found  at  from  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet,  and  in  a white  sand  below  the  gravel.  White 
pipe-clay  is  occasionally  found.  Beds  of  white  clay  and 
sand  occur  in  the  banks  along  Cane  creek  four  miles  north 
of  Wickliffe. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Lovelaceville  the  same  clays  and 
white  sands  are  found,  the  former  white  and  purple  in  color, 
breaking  with  a conchoidal  fracture,  and  similar  in  character 
to  the  leaf-bearing  clays  of  the  Lagrange  group.  They  ap- 
pear also  westward  toward  Blandville  and  south  to  Milburn ; 
a well  at  the  latter  place  reaching  water  in  a fine  white  sand 
at  forty  feet.  A thick  bed  of  white  pipe-clay  occurs  in  a ra- 
vine back  of  the  church  in  Milburn. 


238 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


QUATERNARY. 

Gravel  and  Sand. — The  heaviest  deposits  of  gravel  occur 
along  the  north  bluff  of  Mayfield  creek,  presenting  a bold 
and  abrupt  face  to  the  south,  and  running  east  and  west 
through  the  county.  The  bed  is  twenty  feet  thick  at  Love- 
laceville,  twenty-five  feet  at  Blandville,  and  fifteen  feet  at 
Wickliffe.  The  gravel  is  composed  of  coarse  chert  and  horn- 
stone  fragments  with  rounded  edges,  well  water-worn  quartz 
pebbles  of  various  colors,  and  mixed  with  yellow  and  red 
sands  and  clays ; portions  of  the  mass  are  sometimes  cement- 
ed together  into  a conglomerate  varying  in  firmness. 

Northward  the  bed  thins  out  to  four  feet  at  Hinkleville, 
but  again  thickens  to  ten  feet  at  Barlow  and  fifteen  feet  at 
Woodville  ahd  in  the  flatwoods  region,  all,  however,  covered 
by  a thick  deposit  of  loam. 

South  from  Mayfield  creek  the  gravel  bed,  smaller  in  size, 
while  continuous  below  the  loam,  varies  from  one  to  four  feet 
along  the  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  from  five 
to  eight  feet  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  southward  to 
Milburn.  Near  Arlington  there  is  scarcely  any  gravel.  Along 
the  line  of  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.,  south  of  Mayfield  creek,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  the  gravel  has  an  apparent  thick- 
ness of  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  and  overlies  beds  of  red  and  white 
sands,  the  latter  largely  of  a clear  hyaline  character.  The 
colored  sands,  when  well  washed,  are  mostly  of  the  same,  the 
color  being  derived  chiefly  from  superficial  iron  stains. 

Thick  beds  of  these  sands  form  the  bluffs  at  the  railroad 
water  tank  south  of  Laketon,  and  thence  to  Columbus  at 
intervals.  Near  Wickliffe  they  overlie  the  lignite  and  clay 
beds,  and  contain  isolated  lumps  of  white  plastic  clay. 

The  sand  is  frequently  found  cemented  into  sandstone, 
often  firm  enough  to  bear  considerable  weight.  Beds  of 
these  are  found  along  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.  to  Berkeley,  and 
over  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Near  Berkeley  the 
rock  is  composed  of  hyaline  grains  cemented  with  red  arid 
dark  ferric  oxide,  and  contains  fine  particles  of  white  chert, 
as  in  the  quarry  east  of  Clinton,  Hickman  county.  Tliree 
miles  east  of  Arlington  they  form  ledges  of  very  hard  rock 
several  feet  in  thickn^rs. 


OF  I5ALLAKD  COUNTY. 


239 


The  usual  fossils  are  found  in  the  gravel,  including  crinoids, 
favosites,  occasionally  small  Litliostrotian  Canadense  corals, 
and  oolitic  fragments.  In  the  gravel  at  Milburn,  a piece  of 
chert  with  an  impression  of  a trilobite  was  picked  uj). 

At  the  time  just  previous  to  the  gravel  deposition  the 
surface  of  the  country  was  very  uneven,  as  shown  by  the 
relative  positions  of  the  beds.  A deep  trough  occupied  the 
portion  now  marked  by  the  llatwoods  or  river  valleys  along 
the  Ohio  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  its  greatest 
depth  being  just  south  of  where  the  Ohio  now  flows,  and 
about  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  exposure  of  Subcarbon- 
iferous  limestone  at  Grand  Chain.  The  trough  narrowed 
south-westward,  or  was  merged  into  that  of  the  Mississippi 
river. 

The  base  of  the  gravel  now  marks  the  former  bottom  of 
the  trough  westward  to  Grand  Chain,  beyond  which  it 
ceases.  Its  depth  here  is  fifteen  feet,  and  is  overlaid  by 
from  forty  to  sixty  feet  of  superficial  brown  loam. 

On  the  Illinois  shore  the  gravel  occupies  a position  about 
twenty  feet  above  the  limestone.  At  the  head  of  the  Chain 
this  twenty  feet  is  occupied  by  sharp,  cherty,  flint  layers  in 
place,  as  part  of  the  Subcarboniferous,  the  gravel  resting 
directly  on  them.  The  base  of  the  gravel  on  the  Kentucky 
shore  is,  therefore,  about  twenty  feet  below  what  was  appar- 
ently, at  the  close  of  the  Tertiary,  a Subcarboniferous  bar- 
rier, the  top  of  the  gravel  being  about  on  a level  with  that 
of  the  barrier. 

On  the  edge  of  the  trough,  or  on  the  uplands,  we  find  the 
base  of  the  gravel  at  elevations  of  about  four  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea  at  Barlow,  Woodville  and  Blandville,  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five  at  Wickliffe,  the  latter  being  forty 
feet  and  the  former  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  above  that 
at  the  Grand  Chain.  At  Lovelaceville  the  gravel  base  is  at 
three  hundred  and  eighty- five  feet,  and  at  Milburn  four 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  sea. 

Loess  or  Grey  Silt. — Immediately  over  the  gravel  is  a 
deposit  of  brown  loam  containing  a few  quartz  pebbles,  and 
over  this  a grey  silt  or  loess,  all  of  the  same  bluff  formation. 

The  upper  part  or  grey  silt  occurs  only  along  the  Missis- 


240 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


sippi  bluffs,  and  with  a thickness  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet.  In  width  it  occupies  the  upland  between  Columbus 
and  Arlington  on  the  south,  but  narrows  northward  to  Wick- 
liffe,  the  most  northerly  outcrop  observed  in  the  county  being 
on  Cane  creek,  three  miles  north  of  Wickliffe.  On  the  Illi- 
nois shore  it  forms  the  summit  of  the  bluffs  at  Caledonia. 

The  silt  is  a yellowish -grey,  very  fine,  and  contains  calca- 
reous concretions.  At  Caledonia  small  yellow  ferruginous 
tubular  concretions  were  seen. 

At  no  place  in  the  county  were  any  fresh  water  or  land 
shells  observed  in  the  silt.  The  silt  is  calcareous,  as  shown 
by  the  analysis  given  on  page  79. 

A yellowish  brown  loam  forms  the  superficial  deposit  all 
over  the  county  uplands,  and  gives  rise  to  the  soils  and  sub- 
soils. The  upper  two  feet  is  more  of  a yellow  loam,  the  un- 
derlying material  being  heavier  and  permeated  with  a light 
colored  and  light  silty  seams,  apparently  the  infiltration 
through  sun- cracks. 

The  loam  varies  in  thickness  from  forty  and  sixty  feet 
in  the  fiatwoods,  twenty  feet  along  the  Mayfield  creek  bluffs 
and  at  Woodville,  to  sixteen  feet  at  Woodville,  and  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  at  Bandana  and  Barlow.  The  material  remains 
the  same  throughout,  except  where  glady  lands  have  pro- 
duced bog  iron  ore  and  white  silty  soils. 

ECONOMIC  FEATURES. 

The  materials  occurring  in  this  county  suitable  for  manu- 
facturing purposes  comprise  brown  coal  or  lignite,  clays  for 
stoneware  and  fire-brick,  sand  and  clays  for  building  pur- 
poses, ochre  for  paints,  besides  mineral  waters,  soils,  timber, 
etc. 

Brown  Goal  or  Lignite. — This  variety  of  coal,  but  of  a 
much  more  recent  period  than  the  true  stone-coal,  occurs  in 
layers  in  the  Tertiary  clays,  and  are  exposed  in  the  bluffs 
between  Wickliffe  and  Fort  Jefferson,  and  also  near  Bland- 
ville.  The  main  bed  has  a thickness  of  several  feet,  and  is 
very  fine  and  peaty  in  character,  except  in  the  upper  por 
tions,  which  contain  some  pieces  of  black  lignitized  wood. 


OF  BALLARD  COUNTY. 


241 


Tlie  color  of  the  peaty  portion  is  a dark  brown.  The  mass  is 
more  or  less  jiyritous  in  character ; that  at  Wickliffe  but 
slightly,  and  that  at  Blandville  very  much  so.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  coal  and  the  conditions  that  surround  the  beds 
have  been  fully  described  in  the  general  report. 

The  uses  to  which  this  coal  can  be  put  are  very  limited, 
because  of  the  large  amount  of  impurities  it  contains,  and 
the  semi-carbonized  character  of  its  organic  matter.  It  burns 
but  does  not  produce  much  heat,  leaving  nearly  ten  per  cent, 
of  ash.  Recent  and  satisfactory  tests  by  a Scotland  firm, 
lead  us  to  hope  that  a profitable  demand  for  it  will  soon 
spring  up,  in  a new  process  ,for  refining  sugar. 

Yelloio  Oc7^re.— Beds  of  this  material  occur  in  the  bluff  of 
creeks  near  Laketon,  and  in  a deep  ravine  that  cuts  into  the 
high  ridge  immediately  north  of  Wickliffe.  At  the  former 
place  it  is  continuous  for  some  distance,  exposed  along  the 
edge  of  the  branch  bottom  that  leads  from  Mr.  Wilson’s 
house  westward  into  Sandy  creek,  south  of  Laketon;  while 
in  the  banks  or  bluffs  of  the  latter,  only  large  masses  of  it 
were  found  embedded  in  the  heavy  deposits  of  hyaline  and 
opaque  sands.  Again,  north  of  Laketon,  it  is  exposed  on 
the  place  of  Mr.  Hogencamp,  in  a deep  ravine  or  branch 
running  westward  to  the  Mississippi  bottom,  at  Adams’  cut 
of  the  M.  & O.  R.  R.  The  bed  here  seems  to  be  two  or 
more  feet  thick,  and  the  clay  is  bright  yellow  in  color. 
Near  Wickliffe  it  appears  at  several  points,  but  chiefly  on 
the  land  of  the  Harkless  Bros.,  in  a very  deep  ravine  north 
of  the  town.  The  bed  is,  aj)parently,  several  feet  in  thick- 
ness, but  its  extent  has  not  been  ascertained.  It  is  of  a 
very  bright  yellow  color,  fine  texture,  and  has  been  used  in 
painting  wagons. 

All  of  these  ochres  are  deeply  covered  by  bluffs  of  sand, 
gravel,  and  loam,  and  their  extraction  and  bringing  to  mar- 
ket would  be  attended  with  considerable  expense.  As  tested 
at  the  Rookwood  pottery,  in  Cincinnati,  they  make  a beau- 
tiful red  brick;  but  if  glazed,  the  surface  is  deep  black  in 
color. 

Clays. — In  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the  county 
there  are  many  exposures  of  white  and  variegated  colored 

GEOL.  SUR. — 16. 


242 


GKOLOGICAL  AND  AGKICULTUliAL  FEATURES 


clays,  some  of  which  are  quite  refractory.  North  of  Cane 
Creek  and  Hinkleville,  there  have  been  no  exposures  ob- 
served ; a large  portion  of  the  region  being  occupied  by  the 
river  valley  flats. 

The  clays  that  may  be  considered  as  the  most  valuable, 
because  of  their  convenience  to  transportation  facilities,  lie 
on  the  western  side  of  the  county,  exposed  in  the  bluffs 
that  border  the  Mississippi  bottom,  and  in  the  banks  and 
bottoms  of  the  several  streams  tributary  to  that  river. 

They  vary  from  the  dark-grey  and  black  clays  of  the  Lig- 
nitic  formation,  to  the  whitish  and  more  plastic  varieties  of 
the  more  recent  or  Lagrange  group. 

The  black  or  dark  clays  are  exposed  at  the  base  of  the 
bluffs  along  the  Mississippi  bottom,  from  Laketon  to  Wick- 
liffe,  along  Mayfield  creek  to  and  beyond  Blandville,  along 
Cane  creek,  north  of,  as  well  as  in  the  creek  bottom  fiats 
to  the  east  of  Wickliffe,  and  in  an  isolated  bed,  two  miles 
west  of  Milburn.  They  are  for  the  most  part  covered 
deeply  by  the  Quaternary  gravel  and  silt,  though  in  many 
places  but  little  surface  material  covers  them.  This  is  espe- 
cially so  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wickliffe,  where,  in  the 
bed  of  the  creek  bottom  that  reaches  east  of  town,  the  clay 
is  found  immediately  below  the  surface,  and  is,  even  now, 
being  dug  up  and  shipped  by  railroad  to  points  south. 

These  dark  lignitic  clays  have  an  exposed  thickness  of 
several  feet,  and  are  siliceous  and  refractory  in  character, 
resembling  thus  those  of  the  Columbus  bluffs.  Their  de- 
scription and  analyses  are  given  in  the  general  report  (page 
107),  and  show  that  they  are  largely  adapted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  fire-proof  material,  such  as  fire-brick,  tile,  etc. 

The  second  class,  or  whiter  and  more  i^lastic  clays,  are  not 
extensively  found  in  this  county,  their  beds  occurring  almost 
entirely  in  thin  beds,  separated  by  whitish  sands.  These  are 
seen  in  the  high  bluffs  from  Laketon  southward,  and  at  a 
few  points  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  in  all  cases  be- 
low the  gravel.  Such  beds  are  found  a mile  north  of  Bland- 
ville, a few  miles  south  of  Blandville,  where  there  was  once 
a pottery  in  operation,  and  in  the  town  of  Milburn.  The 
clays  are  of  various  colors,  usually  from  white  to  purple,. 


OF  BALLAKD  COUNTY. 


243 


and  in  beds  from  a few  inches  to  a couple  of  feet  thick. 
They  are  of  no  special  value,  though  they  would  make  the 
ordinary  brown  jug  and  lighter-colored  ware.  (See  analyses, 
page  107. 

Gravel. — This  material,  which  occurs  in  such  abundance  and 
in  thick  beds  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  and  May- 
field  bottoms,  and  in  thinner  deposits  in  other  parts  of  the 
county,  is  well  suited  for  use  on  road-beds  and  streets.  Near 
Wickliffe  there  is  a large  bed  of  it,  which  has  been  thus  util- 
ized on  the  streets  of  that  town,  at  a cost  of  about  ten  cents 
a yard. 

AGRICULTUEAL  FEATURES. 


In  its  agricultural  features,  Ballard  county  presents  a vari- 
ety not  found  in  any  one  of  the  other  counties,  embracing, 
as  it  does,  representative  bodies  of  land  of  the  Mississippi 
alluvial  bottom  and  grey  silt  bluffs  on  the  west  of  the  Ohio 
valley  on  the  north,  and  of  the  upland  barrens  and  tim- 
bered lands  of  the  central  portion  of  the  Purchase  counties. 

The  western  part  of  the  county  being  more  hilly  and 
broken  than  the  eastern  and  middle,  we  find  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  tilled  lands  on  the  east  and  middle  and  south,  the 
extreme  northern  region  being  too  level  and  ill-drained,  and 
the  soils,  therefore,  unsuited  for  cultivation. 

The  lands  of  the  county  embrace  the  usual  varieties,  viz.  : 


Lowland . 


River  alluvial  or  bottoms. 
- Creek  clayey  bottoms. 
River  valley  or  flats. 


r Grey  silt  or  Cane  Hills. 

Upland  . . ^ Brown  loam  timbered  lands. 

[Brown  loam  “Barrens.” 

The  river  alluvial  or  bottom  lands  embrace  a large  area 
along  the  Mississippi  river,  from  the  Hickman  county  line, 
near  Columbus,  northward  to  Cairo,  and  thence  along  the 
Ohio  river  to  the  Grand  Chain,  beyond  which  there  is  but 
a narrow  strip  to  and  beyond  the  McCracken  county  line. 
These  lands  are  subject  to  yearly  overflows,  the  waters  cov- 
ering the  entire  bottoms,  except,  perhaps,  the  surface  of  the 


2l4 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


low  and  narrow  sand  ridges  which  lie  parallel  to  the  river, 
and  at  no  great  distance  from  it.  These  ridges  comprise 
almost  the  only  portion  of  the  bottoms  that  are  under  culti- 
vation, though  even  they  are  liable  to  inundation  from  high 
floods.  They  are  said  to  yield  as  much  as  sixty  bushels  of 
corn  per  acre. 

Along  the  immediate  bank  of  the  rivers  there  is  a white 
sand  frontland,  a little  higher  than  the  interior  of  the  bot- 
toms, and  characterized  by  a growth  of  tall  cottonwood  trees. 

The  interior  of  the  bottom  or  back -land  has  a rich  alluvial 
loam  soil,  deep  and  fertile,  and  covered  with  a heavy  timber 
growth,  comprising  hickory,  sweet  gum,  some  black  and  over- 
cup oaks,  pecan,  walnut,  locust,  red  and  slippery  elm,  prickly 
ash,  hackberry  and  papaw.  The  undergrowth  is  very  dense ; 
cypress  swamps  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 

The  bottoms  of  Mayfleld  creek  have  a width  of  about  a 
mile,  and  are  heavily  timbered  with  white  oak,  hickory, 
sweet  gum,  some  poplar  and  walnut,  redbud,  papaw  and 
catalpa. 

From  Bland ville  toward  the  Mississippi  river  there  is  much 
poplar  growth.  The  lands  are  subject  to  overflow,  and  back- 
water from  floods  in  the  Mississippi  river  reach  four  miles 
above  Blandville,  covering  the  creek  bottoms,  however,  but 
a short  distance  from  the  river  bottoms.  The  soil  is  a whitish 
clay,  very  compact  and  cold,  and  is  entirely  unsuited  to  culti- 
vation, except  near  the  upland  bluffs,  where  it  is  covered  by 
washings  of  brown  loam. 

The  soil  is  said  to  be  best  suited  for  pasturage  in  herds-grass. 
Cane  was  once  a prominent  growth  in  the  bottom,  but  has 
been  kept  down  by  the  grazing  of  cattle. 

The  newly-made  land  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  is  generally 
under  cultivation,  yielding  thirty  bushels  of  corn,  and  some- 
times as  much  as  sixty  bushels.  The  land  is  said  to  yield 
three  tons  of  clover  per  acre.  The  crops  are  a little  later 
than  on  the  uplands. 

The  bottoms  of  Clanton  creek  are  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  wide,  and  have  a growth  of  post  and  white  oaks  and  a 
few  red  oaks.  Humphrey’s  creek  has  but  little  bottom  land. 

The  west  fork  of  Mayfleld  creek  has  a wide  bottom,  well 


OF  BALLARD  COUNTY. 


245 


timbered  with  elm,  maple,  black  oak,  poplar,  gum  and  syca- 
more. Tlie  soil  is  of  the  same  character  as  that  of  Mayfield 
creek — a heavy,  whitish  clay,  having  but  little  decayed  vege- 
table matter.  It  is  not  in  cultivation  because  of  its  lack  of 
drainage,  though  in  places,  where  this  defect  is  corrected, 
the  land  is  said  to  yield  as  much  as  fifty  or  sixty  bushels 
of  corn  per  acre. 

The  Ohio  river  valley  region  or  flat  woods,  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  covers  an  area  of  about  forty  square  miles, 
and  forms,  as  it  were,  a bench  between  the  bottom  lands  and 
the  uplands,  having  an  elevation  of  about  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet  above  the  former,  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  below 
the  latter.  It  forms  the  western  limit  of  the  valley  that  lies 
eastward  along  the  southern  border  of  the  Ohio,  and  along 
Clark’s  and  Tennessee  rivers,  and  which  preserves  very  nearly 
the  same  features  throughout. 

The  valley  here  is  very  broad,  reaching  from  five  miles  north 
of  Hinkle ville,  northward,  to  the  Grand  Chain  or  Ogden’s 
Landing,  a distance  of  six  miles,  though  narrowing  quite 
abruptly  up  the  river  to  but  a mile  or  two. 

The  surface  of  the  valley  is  quite  level  for  the  most  part, 
somewhat  rolling  in  places,  and  timbered  with  a growth  of  post 
oak  chieflj^,  some  hickory,  etc.  The  region  is  in  many  places 
quite  open  and  free  from  any  dense  undergrowth.  This  level 
character  is  productive  of  whitish,  compact,  impervious  soils, 
on  which  water  often  accumulates  in  shallow  swamps  and 
hats.  The  soils  are,  therefore,  cold  in  character,  lack  suffi- 
cient drainage,  and,  as  shown  by  chemical  analyses  (page 
154),  dehcient  in  the  chief  elements  of  plant  food.  Bog  iron 
ore  or  black  gravel  occurs  abundantly  in  places. 

That  these  lands  have  been  rendered  thus  cold  and  unpro- 
ductive by  ill-drainage  and  the  leaching  effects  of  stagnant 
water,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  along  the  immediate  banks 
of  gullies  and  streams,  and  at  points  a little  above  the  hats, 
where  natural  drainage  exists,  the  soils  are  light  and  loamy 
and  of  a brownish-yellow  color,  very  similar  to  the  higher 
uplands,  and  have  a growth  of  oaks,  hickory,  gum,  sassa- 
fras and  dogwood.  The  valley  soils  are  very  generally  of 
this  cold,  impervious  nature,  and  we  therefore  hnd  but  a 
small  area  under  tillage. 


246  GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 

The  Bluff  or  Cane  7/?7Mand  is  found  only  along  the  bor 
der  of  the  Mississippi  bottom,  from  whose  edge  it  extends 
inland  but  a short  distance.  These  lands  are  the  highest  in 
the  county,  and  so  gradually  do  they  merge  into  the  brown 
loam  uplands  that  the  separating  line  is  undistinguishable. 

From  the  Hickman  county  line  the  bluffs  are  prominent  as 
far  north  as  Cane  creek,  north  of  Wickliffe ; but  beyond  this 
they  are  not  noticeable,  either  in  soil,  timber  or  elevation, 
until  the  Ohio  river  is  passed,  when,  at  Caledonia,  they  are 
again  prominent. 

This  bluff  region  is  very  considerably  eroded  by  deep  ra- 
vines leading  from  the  almost  vertical  face  of  the  bluff  inland, 
and  carrying  drainage  waters  to  interior  streams.  The  land 
of  the  region  is,  therefore,  not  largely  under  tillage,  though 
having  a rich  dark  loam  soil  marked  by  a heavy  timber  growth 
of  poplar,  oak  and  hickory.  A dense  cane  undergrowth  once 
prevailed  over  the  lands,  but  has  been  eaten  down  yearly  by 
stock. 

The  Upland  Barrens  embrace  a large  area  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  or  east  and  north  of  a line  passing  near 
Northington’s  store  or  Hazlewood  post-office  through  a point 
a little  south  of  Hinkleville,  and  south-eastward  into  Mc- 
Cracken county.  The  region  is  limited  on  the  north  by  the 
river  valley  or  flats. 

The  surface  is  rolling  and  more  or  less  broken,  and  in  all 
respects  very  similar  to  other  uplands,  except  in  its  timber 
growth,  the  region  having  been  at  one  time  an  open  prairie 
— the  continuation  northward  of  a belt  that  reached  to  near 
the  Tennessee  State  line  south  of  Graves  county.  It  has 
since  grown  up  in  a low  growth  of  black-jack  and  red  oaks, 
all  preserving  a nearly  uniform  height. 

The  undergrowth  is  hazel  and  sumac ; the  soil  is  a light- 
brown  loam  about  three  or  four  feet  in  depth,  over  a more 
clayey  bed  of  loam,  permeated  with  seams  of  a whiter,  silty 
material.  The  land  is  best  suited  to  the  cultivation  of  to- 
bacco. Some  portions  of  the  surface  of  the  Barrens  are  very 
level,  with  but  little  natural  drainage,  and  are,  therefore,  in- 
clined to  be  glady  and  unproductive.  The  usual  black  bog 
ore  gravel  occurs  in  such  spots. 


OF  m’ckackkn  county. 


247 


The  Umbered  uplands,  so  designated  popularly  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  Barrens,  and  because  they  have  a greater 
variety  of  timber,  and  of  larger  growth,  cover  more  than  two 
hundred  square  miles,  an  area  of  the  county  greater  than 
that  occupied  by  any  other  division.  This  embraces  all  of 
the  uplands  south  of  Mayfield  creek  except  the  bluff  or  Cane 
Hills  land,  while  on  the  north  side  it  takes  in  all  but  the 
Barrens  and  a small  area  of  bluff  lands,  and  lies  between 
the  two  latter. 

The  surface  is  more  rolling  and  broken  on  the  north  than 
on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  and  is  probably  less  under 
tillage.  The  soil  is  a brownish-yellow  loam,  darkened  by 
decayed  vegetation  for  a couple  or  more  of  inches,  the  sub- 
soil being  lighter  brown,  resting  at  three  feet  upon  a bed  of 
more  clayey  loam,  which  is  permeated  with  thin  seams  of  a 
greyish  silt,  as  in  other  counties. 

The  timber  of  the  lands  of  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
is  black  and  white  oak,  hickory  and  dogwood.  That  of  the 
breaks  on  the  north  side  of  Mayfield  creek  is  poplar,  black 
oak,  hickory,  black  gum,  dogwood,  redbud,  sassafras  and 
persimmon.  To  the  west  of  the  county  poplar  is  more  abun- 
dant than  elsewhere. 

The  soil  is  said  to  yield  forty  to  fifty  bushels  of  corn,  ten 
to  fifteen  of  wheat,  or  eight  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  per 
acre.  The  land  washes  readily  into  gullies  and  ravines, 
against  which  injury,  even  in  cultivated  fields,  none  of  the 
ordinary  precautions  are  taken,  such  as  hillside  ditching  or 
horizontilizing. 


McCRACKEN  COUNTY. 

McCracken  county  was  cut  off  from  Hickman  and  organ- 
ized in  1824.  It  has  an  area  of  about  2,373  square  miles,  and 
is  bordered  on  che  north  by  the  Tennessee  and  Ohio  rivers. 

Clark’s  river  flows  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  north- 
ward into  the  Tennessee  river,  and  these  three  streams  are 
bordered  by  a broad  and  nearly  level  flatwoods  region,  whose 


248 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULUURAL  FEATURES 


elevation  is  about  fifty-five  feet  above  low-water  mark  in  the 
Ohio,  at  Paducah,  or  three  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  above 
the  sea.  These  fiats  are  from  two  to  three  miles  in  width, 
and  from  them  the  country  suddenly  rises  on  the  south  to  a 
height  of  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet  and  then 
again  gradually  to  the  dividing  ridge  along  the  north  side 
of  Mayfield  creek,  whose  elevation  is  about  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  above  Paducah,  or  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  the  sea. 

Mayfield  creek  enters  the  county  from  Grraves  county  on 
the  south,  and  immediately  turns  westward  into  Ballard 
county;  otherwise  the  drainage  of  the  county  is  all  north- 
ward into,  the  Tennessee  and  Ohio  rivers  by  numerous  small 
and  independent  streams. 

The  surface  of  the  uplands  is  rolling,  but  with  large  areas 
of  level  land  between  the  streams  and  at  their  head -waters. 

On  the  breaks  of  the  creeks  the  lands  are  often  washed 
into  deep  ravines  and  gullies. 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

There  are  in  this  county  several  localities  where  very  large 
and  massive  quartzose  sandstones  are  exposed,  and  which 
seem  to  belong  to  the  Onandaga  quartzite  series  of  the  Illi- 
nois Report.  The  grains  are  sharp  and  clear  or  whitish, 
sometimes  strongly  cemented  into  a hard  quartzite,  and  then 
less  so  into  a very  friable  mass.  In  one  specimen  the  cement- 
ing material  was  silica,  which  coated  the  sand  grains.  Iron 
stains  occur  frequently. 

The  largest  of  these  outcrops  is  at  Mr.  John  Byer’s,  four 
miles  south  of  Paducah,  to  the  west  of  the  Paducah  and 
Mayfield  road.  The  rocks  cover,  to  the  height  of  seventy- 
five  feet,  the  north-east,  east  and  south  sides  of  a hill  that 
faces  one  of  the  branches  of  the  head- waters  of  Island  creek, 
and  also  occur  in  the  bed  of  the  branch  by  the  side  of  Ter- 
tiary, micaceous  sand-rocks.  The  quartzites  are  in  large  frag- 
ments, some  of  them  having  a surface  of  six  to  eight  feet 
square,  and  an  exposed  thickness  of  two  to  four  feet  above 
the  ground.  Their  surfaces  are  mostly  dark  and  smooth,  show- 
ing the  wearing  effects  of  water. 


OF  m’ckacken  county. 


249 


A gravel  bed  ten  or  fifteen  feet  thick  overlies  them  on  the 
hill.  A well  dug  seventy-five  yards  north  of  the  rocks 
passed  through  soil  and  loam  six  feet,  gravel  eight  feet,  and 
blue  or  black  joint-clay  (“soapstone”),  thirty-five  feet,  with- 
out reaching  water.  The  clay  was  not  passed  through  and 
no  rocks  were  found. 

A mile  west  of  this,  and  on  the  same  branch,  the  rocks  in 
large  masses  are  again  exposed  in  the  bank  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills,  over  a distance  of  fifty  yards.  A black  clay  (Tertiary) 
outcrops  in  the  bed  of  the  branch  a little  eastward,  over- 
laid by  gravel  in  process  of  cementation  into  a hard  conglom 
erate.  An  indurated  red  sand  also  occurs  in  the  bed  of  the 
branch  near  by. 

Still  westward,  near  the  Pepper’s  mill  and  Clinton  road, 
another  quartzite  exposure  occurs,  the  rocks  being  large  and 
water-worn  on  the  surface,  and  lying  below  the  gravel  bed, 
and  over  a distance  of  fifty  feet.  One  of  these  rocks  has  a 
surface  area  of  twenty  by  ten  feet. 

There  is  another  exposure  on  the  place  of  VV.  J.  Flournoy, 
a little  west  of  north  of  the  Byer’s  place,  and  four  miles 
west  of  Paducah,  near  the  crossing  of  Perkins  creek.  The 
rocks  here  are  numerous,  scattered  over  one-half  mile  or 
more,  and  are  seen  on  the  side  of  hills  and  in  a ravine  or 
branch.  One  of  these  rises  ten  feet  out  of  the  ground,  and 
has  a surface  area  of  twelve  by  twenty  feet.  The  rock  is 
sharp  grained  and  massive,  and  the  surface  much  water- 
worn  ; a piece  had  been  blasted  from  it.  In  adjoining  wells, 
black  joint-clay  or  “soapstone”  is  found  below  the  gravel  at 
twenty  feet  from  the  surface,  and  has  been  penetrated  sev- 
enty-five feet  without  being  passed  through. 

Again,  near  the  crossing  of  the  west  fork  of  Massac  creek, 
on  the  place  of  Mr.  Bryant,  the  quartzite  or  sandstone  -is  ex- 
posed, not  massive  as  elsewhere,  but  in  layers  two  feet  thick, 
and  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  along  the  branch.  The 
same  sandstone  ledges  are  seen  a short  distance  south  of  Mas- 
sac post-office,  in  the  road,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  and  in 
ravines.  They  are  from  two  to  four  feet  thick  and  sharp- 
grained. Masses  of  them,  water-worn,  occur  in  the  gravel 
beds  on  the  north  of  town. 


250  nTOT.OGICAL  AND  AGEICULTURAL  FEATURES 

Besides  these,  there  are  other  localities  where  large  pieces 
are  isolated,  water-worn,  and  appear  to  be  erratic,  probably 
carried  by  the  Quaternary  tioods  which  brought  the  gravel 
to  its  present  bed. 

Such  pieces  are  found  in  the  flats  south  and  west  of  Padu- 
cali,  buried  in  the  surface  of  the  loams  which  overlie  the 
gravel,  and  not  very  far  from  the  base  of  the  hills.  Another 
group  occurs  at  Palestine  Church  in  the  edge  of  the  flats 
south  of  Metropolis.  All  of  these  i:>ieces  have  a surface  area 
of  several  square  feet  each,  and  a thickness  of  from  one  to 
three  feet. 

Cretaceous. — This  formation  is  but  feebly  represented  in  this 
county,  and  its  exposure  is  limited  to  a belt  of  country,  bor- 
dering the  Tennessee  river  from  the  Marshall  county  line  to 
Paducah,  passing  thence  into  Illinois.  It  is  deepl}^  covered 
by  the  superflcial  loams  and  gravel,  and  its  exposures  are 
not  very  frequent.  Its  material  embraces  very  highly  mica- 
ceous, laminated  black  clays;  their  thin  laminae  separated  by 
a mixture  of  very  fine  sand  and  scales  of  mica,  the  whole 
being  underlaid  by  a bed  of  fine  white  micaceous  and  cal- 
careous sand,  the  grains  of  which  are  very  sharp.  No  fossils 
have  been  found,  and  these  beds  have  been  referred  to  this 
formation  chiefly  from  their  position  below  the  black  and 
grey  Tertiary  joint-clays,  from  their  similarity  to  the  Tom- 
bigbee  and  Ripley  beds  of  Mississippi,  and  because  of  their 
continuity  with  the  latter  through  Tennessee. 

The  beds  are  best  seen  in  the  river  bank  at  Paducah,  where 
they  were  recently  exposed  in  digging  the  tunnel  for  the 
water-works.  The  strata  here  consist  only  of  the  finely  lam- 
inated and  pyritous  shaly  black  clays  and  fine  sands,  the 
underlying  sands  not  having  been  reached.  The  well  dug  for 
the  old  vinegar  works  in  Paducah  shows  the  following  strata : 


Loam  or  heavy  yellowish  clays 30  feet. 

Gravel  bed 10  feet. 

Blackish-blue  clay 8 feet. 

Colored  sand 6 feet. 

Blackish-blue  clay 8 feet. 

White  fine  sand  to  water 50  feet* 


112  feet. 


OF  m’cracken  county. 


251 


The  blue  clays  in  the  above  are  the  thinly  laminated  mica- 
ceous clays  already  alluded  to.  The  white  sand  is  doubtless 
synchronous  with  the  white  micaceous  sand  beds  ot  Calloway 
county  and  with  those  oi  Tennessee,  which  are  there  known 
as  Colt’ee  Sands. 

Tertiary.— lowest  division  of  Eocene  Tertiary,  compris- 
ing black  or  grey  joint-clay  or  “soapstone,”  and  designated 
“Porter’s  creek  group”  in  Tennessee,  passes  through  the 
county  from  the  south-eastern  corner  north-westward  into 
north  Ballard,  and  across  the  Ohio  river  into  Illinois. 
The  clay  is  black  when  wet  or  when  freshly  exposed  ; it  is 
jointed  in  structure,  and  cuts  in  a peculiarly  harsh  and  brit- 
tle manner.  On  drying  it  becomes  grey  in  color  and  crum- 
bles into  a shale.  It  is  pyritous.  In  the  upper  portion  there 
is  usually  a ledge  of  soft  micaceous  sand- rock  which  hardens 
on  exposure,  and  in  some  places  contains  casts  of  Eocene 
fossils.  The  bed  has  a thickness  of  at  least  one  hundred 
feet,  the  lower  portions  being  only  reached  in  wells.  It  is 
everywhere  covered  by  the  superficial  Quaternary  gravel  and 
loam. 

In  tlie  extreme  southern  part  of  the  county  it  forms  steep 
banks  on  the  east  side  of  Clark’s  river  and  of  its  two  forks. 
The  bluffs  are  well  exposed  ou  the  East  Fork,  at  Captain 
Edwards’  place,  on  the  West  Fork  at  Ly ell’s,  and  down 
these  streams  to  the  Fish  Trap  Ford,  in  the  big  bend  of 
the  main  river.  At  the  latter  place  a narrow  belt  of  flat- 
woods  extends  back  from  the  river  for  a short  distance.  Its 
river  bluff  shows  eight  or  ten  feet  of  Quaternary  loam  and 
three  feet  of  Tertiary  bluish  sandy  clay  overlying  a ledge  of 
the  grey  micaceous  sandstone  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches 
thick,  and,  from  this  to  the  water’s  edge,  eight  feet  of  black 
joint-clay.  Below  this  it  extends  sixteen  feet,  as  shown  by 
borings  made  in  the  vicinity,  and  is  then  underlaid  by  the 
thinly  laminated,  highly  micaceous,  black  clay  and  fine  sand 
belonging  to  the  Cretaceous. 

The  Tertiary  clays  are  very  highly  pyritous,  the  bright, 
silvery  looking  mineral  occurring  in  nodules  of  various  sizes, 
from  half  an  inch  to  several  inches  in  diameter.  They  have 
frequently  been  mistaken,  according  to  color,  for  silver  or 


252 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


gold,  and  in  part  have  given  rise  to  the  legends  of  “silver 
mines  on  Clark’s  river.” 

The  grey  micaceous  sandstone  not  only  forms  a regular 
ledge  over  the  “soapstone,”  but  penetrates  it  downward  in 
seams  of  several  inches  thickness,  which  sometimes  cross 
each  other.  The  sandstone  becomes  indurated  and  crumbles 
on  drying. 

Still  further  down  the  river,  at  the  mouth  of  Si)ring  creek, 
about  four  miles  from  the  Tennessee  river,  the  following  sec- 


tion is  exposed  in  the  bluff: 

Flatwoods  soil  and  coarse  ycdlow  sandy  micaceous  loam 15  feet. 

Coarsely  laminated  dark  clay  and  yellowish  sand  20  feet. 

Deep  blue  plastic  micaceous  clays,  to  water’s  edge 20  feet. 


The  micaceous  sandstone  ledge  does  not  appear  in  this 
place,  and  the  strata  seem  to  dip  slightly  to  the  north-west. 
At  Hard  Money  the  black  clay  is  found  in  wells. 

Going  north  westward,  we  find  another  exposure  of  these 
clays  in  the  road  on  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  south  of 
Eden’s  hill,  or  three  miles  south  of  Paducah,  and  again  one 
mile  still  further  south  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill.  The 
clays  are  at  the  base  of  these  hills,  and  accompanied  by  the 
micaceous  sandstones.  This  sandstone,  at  the  latter  place, 
is  fossiliferous,  containing  casts  of  numerous  Eocene  varieties. 
(See  page  45.) 

The  following  section  shows  the  position  and  character  of 
the  strata : 


Soil  and  brown  loam,  probably 

Red  sand  and  gravel 

Bluish  pipe-clays 

Grey  sandy  clay  ledge  without  fossils 

Grey  sandy  clay  ledge  with  fossils 

Dark  joint-clay  (soapstone)  to  foot  of  hill,  weathering  to  a light 
grey  shale 


20  feet. 
10  to  15  feet. 
2 feet. 
4 feet. 
2 feet. 

6 feet. 


The  fossil  portion  of  the  ledge  is  about  two  feet  thick ; it 
again  occurs  in  the  bed  of  the  branch  that  flows  at  the  foot 
of  the  quartzose  sand-rock  hill,  a mile  south,  but  here  the 
ledges  are  almost  vertical,  and  seem  to  be  fifty  feet  thick 
with  a due  north  and  south  trend.  The  rock  is  grey  when 
dry  and  greenish  when  wet,  due  probably  to  grains  of  green- 
sand or  glauconite. 


OF  m’cuaoken  county. 


253 


On  Massac  creek,  at  Maxon’s  mill,  the  clay  was  reached  at 
about  eighteen  feet  from  the  surface,  in  digging  a well,  and 
the  stratum  was  found  to  be  ninety-eight  feet  thick,  over- 
lying  a coarse,  white  sand,  from  whose  bed  water  rose  to  a 
height  of  sixty  feet,  and  was  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
fetid  sulphur  gas  (sulphuretted  hydrogen)  as  to  be  unfit  for 
use.  The  well  was  dug  in  the  flats  of  Massac  creek,  above 
which  the  uplands  rise  fifty  feet.  The  joint-clay  is  found 
along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  and  has  the  same  shaly  i)roi^- 
erties  possessed  by  the  beds  on  Clark’s  river. 

•Still  westward,  on  the  hills,  three  miles  east  of  Woodville, 
a well  on  Mr.  Bradshaw’s  place  passed  through  twenty  feet 
of  loam,  six  feet  of  gravel,  and  some  light-colored  yellow 
sand,  beneath  which  the  joint-clay  was  struck  and  pene- 
trated to  a depth  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  from  the 
surface  of  the  ground. 

The  flatwoods  north  of  Woodville  are,  doubtless,  under- 
laid by  this  joint-clay  or  so-called  “soapstone,”  for  it  is 
found  outcropping  in  the  Ohio  river  bluffs  at  Caledonia,  due 
westward  from  Woodville.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  the  clays  do  not  appear. 

In  a well  on  Mrs.  W.  J.  Flournoy’s  place,  four  miles  west 
of  Paducah,  the  black  clay  was  reached  at  twenty  feet  and 
penetrated  for  seventy-five  feet.  Lignite  is  said  to  have  been 
found  in  it. 

Lagrange  Group. — The  south-western  half  of  the  county, 
or  that  part  south  of  a line  from  Woodville  to  Florence,  is 
embraced  in  that  part  of  the  Purchase  Region  in  which  the 
black  clays  seem  to  have  been  in  part  removed,  and  replaced 
by  beds  of  fine  sands,  mostly  white,  and  interstratified  with 
thin  layers  of  pipe-clay. 

In  wells  at  Pepper’s  mill,  five  miles  south-west  of  Padu- 
cah, the  following  section  was  observed:  brown  loam  ten  feet, 
gravel  eighteen  feet,  yellow  or  white  sands  eighty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet,  in  which  water  was  found  flowing  over  a black 
clay  which  is  said  to  have  been  penetrated  nearly  one  hun- 
dred feet,  but  not  passed  through.  At  Massac  post-office,  still 
south-west,  wells  were  dug  through  thirty  feet  of  loam, 
two  feet  of  sandstone  rock,  forty  feet  of  gravel,  thirty-six 


254 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


feet  of  white  sand,  and  four  feet  of  quicksand  to  water— in 
all  one  hundred  and  twelve  feet.  Such  is  said  to  be  the 
nature  of  wells  between  Massac  and  Lovelaceville  and  east- 
ward toward  Florence. 

The  bluffs  on  Mayfield  creek  are  about  one  hundred  feet 
high,  and  are  composed  of  thirty  feet  of  brown  loam  and 
soil,  twenty-five  feet  of  gravel,  thirty  feet  of  red  sand,  three 
feet  of  white  pipe-clay,  and  ten  feet  of  white  and  yellow 
sands. 

This  white  pipe-clay  usually  marks  the  upper  limit  of  the 
Lagrange  beds,  though  sometimes  we  find  a thin  Quaternary 
stratum  of  clay  beneath  the  gravel. 

Quaternary  Gravel  Beds. — Deposits  of  gravel  are  found  all 
over  the  county,  and  occupy  various  altitudes. 

At  the  close  of  the  Tertiary  period,  or  before  the  deposi- 
tion of  the  gravels,  there  existed  a deep  basin  along  the  west 
side  of  Clark’s  river,  and  thence  along  the  south  side  of 
the  Tennessee  and  Ohio  rivers  into  Ballard  county,  an  area 
now  marked  by  the  valley  “fiatwoods.”  The  bed  of  the 
basin  was  about  ten  feet  above  present  low-water  of  the 
rivers,  and  nearly  sixty  feet  below  the  top  of  the  Tertiary 
strata  of  the  adjoining  upland. 

From  Paducah  westward  in  this  basin  we  find  gravel  beds 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick,  resting  immediately  upon  the  black 
clays,  but  in  the  Clark’s  river  section  they  do  not  appear. 
Opposite  Metropolis,  the  bluffs,  thirty  feet  above  the  river 
bottom  lands,  approach  to  one-fourth  mile  of  the  river;  their 
height  is,  however,  about  that  of  the  flats  of  Paducah.  The 
gravel  here  is  only  about  twenty  feet  below  the  surface,  or  ten 
feet  higher  than  at  Paducah. 

On  the  uplands,  south  of  the  flatwoods,  the  beds  of  gravel 
are  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick,  increasing  in  thickness 
south  to  Mayfield  creek,  along  whose  bluffs  twenty-five  to 
thirty  feet  are  seen.  In  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
south  of  Woodville,  the  gravel  bed  is  but  from  five  to  eight 
feet  thick. 

The  gravel  is  composed  of  fragments  of  Subcarboniferous 
chert  and  hornstone  with  crinoidal  stems,  favosites  and  other 
fossil  forms.  They  are  more  or  less  rounded,  but  numerous 


OF  m’cracken  county. 


255 


fragments  sliow  very  little  effects  of  attrition  and  cannot  liave 
come  from  a very  great  distance.  Some  well  rounded  Car- 
boniferons  quartz  pebbles  are  found  in  the  beds,  but  are  small. 
The  gravel  shows  some  signs  of  stratification,  though  not  as 
much  as  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

Red  ferruginous  clays  and  sand  are  associated  with  the 
gravel,  and  act  energetically  in  cementing  the  mass  into  a 
hard  conglomerate.  It  is  this  that  renders  these  beds  so  use- 
ful for  street  grading  and  covering. 

Small  fragments  of  a conglomerate  are  sometimes  found 
in  the  beds,  as  if  broken  from  large  masses  formed  prior  to 
the  deposition  over  the  Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  beds. 

The  gravel  is  not  uniform  in  extent  or  thickness,  having 
either  been  deposited  thus  irregularly  or  subjected  to  erro-’ 
sion  before  the  deposition  of  the  superficial  loams. 

Brown  Loam. — These  loams  cover  the  gravel  everywhere, 
except  in  the  river  valleys.  The  upper  two  feet  of  the  de- 
ix»sit  is  of  a brownish-yellow  color,  and,  where  drained,  is 
light,  and  affords  a thrifty  soil.  Beneath  this  is  a heavier 
and  more  intractable  loam,  lighter  in  color  and  permeated 
with  lighter  colored  silty  seams. 

Throughout  the  county  the  thickness  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet,  apparently  regardless  of  the  irregular  contour 
of  the  gravel  beds,  the  surface  of  the  loam  deposit  often 
being  seen  to  conform  in  slope  to  that  of  the  gravel. 

The  light  character  of  the  loam  renders  it  easily  carried  by 
rains  down  hill-sides,  and,  as  a consequence,  its  surface  is 
frequently  cut  up  into  deep  ravines  and  gullies. 

Port  Hudson. — The  lower  bed  of  this  formation  covers  the 
gravel  deposit  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and  of  Clark’s  rivers, 
and  is  represented  by  a yellowish  micaceous  loam  from  ten 
to  twenty  feet  thick.  White  calcareous  concretions,  very 
similar  to  those  found  in  the  blue  clays  of  the  river  bank 
at  Columbus,  Ky.,  occur  in  the  loam  of  the  ravines  around 
Paducah.  This  bed  is  generally  covered  by  a thin  surface 
deposit  of  loam,  which,  because  of  ill-drainage,  is  compact 
and  crawfishy  in  character. 

Along  the  river  bank,  beneath  the  alluvial  deposit,  and 
beginning  just  west  of  Paducah,  are  exposed  the  hlue  clays 


256 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


that  characterize  the  formation  along  the  Mississippi  river. 
The  clay  is  interstratified  with  thin  beds  of  red,  yellow  and 
white  sands,  and  contains  jiarticles  of  blue  vivianite,  a phos- 
phate of  iron. 

Later  Oranel. — After  the  deposition  of  the  Port  Hudson 
clays,  the  flatwoods  seem  to  have  been  swept  by  some  deep 
current,  j)robably  the  Tennessee  and  Clark’s  rivers,  which 
bore  down  from  the  adjoining  hill-sides  loam  and  tine  gravel, 
the  latter  being  re-deposited  in  a low  and  wide  ridge,  which 
extends  from  a point  five  miles  south  of  Paducah,  on  the 
line  of  railroad,  in  a nearly  north  and  south  course,  through 
the  city  cemetery  on  the  west  of  town.  The  gravel  is  more 
rounded  than  that  of  the  other  beds,  and  is  uniformly  mixed 
with  a fine  loam.  The  bed  is  five  to  eight  feet  thick.  A 
similar  deposit  of  gravel  occurs  on  the  east  in  the  bottom  of 
Little  Cypress  creek,  in  Marshall  county. 

Loose  gravel  is  also  found  scattered  over  the  flatwoods  as 
far  west  as  Metropolis. 

ECONOMIC  FEATURES. 

The  materials  within,  the  county  that  are  valuable  from  an 
economic  point  of  view,  comprise,  chiefly,  clays,  iron  ore 
and  gravel.  There  are  a few  others  that  will  be  mentioned 
below. 

Clays. — In  color  the  clays  of  the  county  vary  from  black 
to  white,  each  distributed  according  to  geological  formations. 

The  black  clays  are  found  in  the  Cretaceous  and  lower  Ter- 
tiary Eocene  belts  in  the  eastern  and  middle  parts  of  the 
county.  Those  of  the  former  outcrop  in  the  banks  of  Clark’s 
river  above  the  railroad  bridge,  and  are  highly  micaceous  in 
character,  and  are  in  thin  laminae  which  are  separated  by 
a fine  white  micaceous  sand.  They  are  of  no  value. 

The  Tertiary  black  clays  overlying  these  occur  also  in  the 
Clark’s  river  bluffs,  with  an  exposure  of  about  fifteen  feet; 
also,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  that  rise  above  the  fiats  or  val- 
leys south  of  Paducah.  These  hills  are  capped  with  Quater- 
nary gravel,  sand  and  loam,  a Tertiary  micaceous  sand-rock 
stratum  appearing  below.  The  black  clay  exposure  is  here 
only  about  twelve  feet  thick,  but  in  wells  and  excavations 


OF  m’crack?:n  county. 


2r>7 


in  the  vicinity,  as  well  as  north-westward  (or  west  of  Padii 
call),  the  thickness  is  found  to  be  as  much  as  ninety  feet. 
'Die  clay  is  massive  and  jointj"  in  structure,  breaking  with 
lounded  fracture ; it  is  black  when  wet  or  damp,  but  dries 
to  a light  slaty  color,  and  is  speckled  with  minute  particles 
of  mica.  An  analysis  of  a specimen  of  the  clay  taken  from 
the  same  belt  near  Murray,  Calloway  county  (page  110),  shows 
the  presence  of  nearly  one  per  cent,  of  potash,  three  and  a 
half  of  iron,  and  sixteen  and  a half  of  alumina,  half  a per 
cent,  of  magnesia,  and  two-tenths  of  one  per  cent,  of  lime. 
Tests  made  at  the  Rookwood  Pottery,  in  Cincinnati,  indicate 
that  it  can  not  be  used  for  glazed  ware,  because  of  the  shiv- 
ering of  the  glaze.  The  unglazed  biscuit  is  pinkish  in  color, 
while  the  tine  particles  of  mica  burn  to  black  specks  through- 
out the  mass.  For  dark  ware  that  requires  no  glazing,  it 
could  be  used  very  sucessfully. 

At  Mr.  John  Munier’s,  five  miles  south  of  Paducah,  there 
is,  in  the  side  of  the  hill  beneath  the  road,  a thick  bed  of  a 
highly  plastic  bluish  clay,  mottled  with  very  light  ochreous 
material.  It  is  quite  refractory,  fusing  before  the  blow-pipe 
with  great  difficulty.  It  makes  a cream-colored  ware.  The 
analysis  (page  107)  shows  the  presence  of  one  and  a half  per 
cent,  of  potash  and  soda,  half  per  cent,  of  lime,  and  nearly 
two  of  iron  oxide. 

The  same  clay  occurs  beneath  the  railroad  bed  at  Florence 
Station,  southward  from  Munier’s. 

On  the  east  of  Clark’s  river,  at  the  spring  on  the  place  of 
Mr.  Armstrong,  there  occurs  another  bed  of  bluish  micaceous 
clay,  which,  on  exposure,  dries  to  a dark  grey.  The  thick- 
ness is  unknown.  It  is  quite  sandy,  somewhat  ochreous  in 
character,  and  fuses  to  a grey  mass  before  the  blow-pipe. 

The  yellow  ochre  in  the  clay,  however,  makes  it  of  value, 
as  it  burns  to  a handsome  deep  brick-red  color,  and  could  be 
utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  brick.  The  shrinkage  is  about 
twelve  per  cent.  It  can  be  easily  obtained,  as  it  is  overlaid 
by  but  a few  feet  of  gravel.  The  analysis  of  a sample  taken 
below  the  ochreous  portion  is  given  on  page  116. 

There  is,  in  a ravine  on  the  river  bank,  just  below  Paducah, 
a thin  bed  of  dark  or  black  clays  holding  blue  particles  of 

GEOL.  SUE. — 17. 


258 


GKOLOOICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


the  mineral  Vimanite.  The  bed  is  the  same  that  outcrops; 
at  Highland  Landing,  on  the  Tennessee  river,  in  south-east 
Marshall  county.  On  analysis  it  has  been  found  to  contain 
nearly  two  per  cent,  of  iron  oxide.  The  amount  of  potash 
and  soda  is  more  than  two  and  a half  per  cent.  The  clay  is 
interlaminated  with  beds  of  yellow  sand,  and  is  of  no  value. 
It  fuses  readily  to  a grey  mass  before  the  blow-pipe. 

The  whitish  clays  belong  almost  entirely  to  formations 
later  than  the  Lignitic  Tertiary,  and  in  this  county  are  ex- 
clusively found  in  the  central  and  western  portion.  The 
Lagrange  formation  embraces  most  of  the  beds. 

At  Mr.  W.  J.  Hough’s  place,  four  miles  south-west  of  Pa- 
ducah, there  is  an  exposure  of  five  feet  of  a whitish  clay, 
holding  small  masses  of  gypsum  in  needle  crystals.  It  has 
but  few  feet  of  overlying  gravel  and  loam,  and  is,  in  places, 
rather  sandy.  The  analysis  of  a sample  (page  116)  shows 
the  presence  of  about  one  and  a half  per  cent,  of  potash 
and  soda.  Glazed  ware  from  it  has  a dark  cream-color. 

Still  further  south-westward  a very  pretty,  white,  plastic 
clay  has  been  found  on  the  places  of  Dr.  Roof  and  Mrs, 
Annie  Grief,  about  ten  miles  from  Paducah.  The  clay  holds 
some  pockets  of  white  sand,  and  is  somewhat  stained  with 
yellow  ochre.  Its  thickness  has  not  been  ascertained,  and 
no  tests  or  analyses  have  been  made  of  it.  It  would,  doubt- 
less, make  a fair  cream-colored  ware.  There  are  but  a few 
feet  of  overlying  material  at  the  locality  where  observed  on 
Mrs.  Griefs  place,  and  there  would  be  but  little  expense 
attending  its  working. 

The  north  bluffs  of  Mayfield  creek  are  high  and  precip- 
itous, and  at  their  base  there  is  a frequent  exposure  of  a 
whitish  and  purplish  clay,  that  seems  to  be  continuous  under 
that  x>oHion  of  the  county.  An  outcrop  occurs  near  the 
road  opposite  Lewisburg,  having  a thickness  of  three  feet, 
but  overlaid  by  seventy  five  feet  of  red  and  yellow  sand, 
gravel  and  loam. 

Again,  near  the  county  line  to  westward,  on  the  place  of 
Mr.  Mitchell,  there  is  another  outcrop  of  juirplish  and  white 
clay ; it  is  sandy  in  places,  and  before  the  blow-jiipe  fuses 
to  a grey  mass.  Its  analysis  is  given  on  page  116. 


OF  m’cuacken  county. 


2f)9 


Iron  Ores. — There  are  two  localities  in  this  county  which 
are  marked  by  the  presence  of  limonite,  though  in  small 
quantities. 

One  of  these  is  at  Mrs.  Alexander’s  place,  five  miles  south- 
west of  Paducah.  The  ore  occurs  in  rounded  masses  more 
or  less  concretionary  in  form,  some  of  them  a foot  or  more  in 
diameter.  Unfortunately,  they  are  not  in  sufficient  quantity 
for  use.  The  analysis  on  page  124  gives  83.8  per  cent,  of  iron 
oxide,  equivalent  to  58.7  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron. 

The  other  locality  of  occurrence  is  on  the  i)lace  of  W.  J. 
Flournoy,  four  miles  west  of  Paducah.  Here  the  ore  forms  a 
ledge  of  from  four  to  six  inches  in  thickness  beneath  the  Qua- 
ternary gravel.  The  bed  is,  however,  only  local,  though  frag- 
ments of  the  ore  have  been  found  within  a short  distance 
from  it.  In  its  semi-concretionary  and  banded  character  it 
resembles  that  mentioned  above,  and  it  probably  has  the 
same  composition. 

A clay  iron-stone  occurs  in  small  quantities  on  the  place 
of  Mr.  Jones,  three  miles  south  of  Paducah.  Its  edges  pre- 
sent very  pretty  banded  lines  of  yellow,  red  and  darker 
colors. 

GtY’psum. — This  mineral  has  already  been  mentioned  as  oc- 
curring in  the  clay  at  Mr.  Hough's,  four  miles  west  of  Padu- 
cah. There  is,  however,  no  great  quantity  of  it. 

ViA'iANiTE. — In  the  blue  clay  alluded  to  as  occurring  in 
a ravine  leading  into  the  Ohio  river  in  the  western  limits  of 
Paducah,  there  is  readily  seen  very  many  particles  of  the 
blue  mineral  which,  on  analysis,  proved  to  be  Vimanite,  a 
phosphate  of  iron.  In  such  small  amount  it  has  no  value, 
and  its  occurrence  is  only  a matter  of  interest. 

Gravel. — The  thick  beds  of  gravel  that  outcrop  in  the 
ravines  around  Paducah  and  in  the  hill-sides  in  other  parts 
of  the  county,  are  very  generally  made  up  not  only  of  gravel 
but  of  ferruginous  clay  and  sand,  which  give  to  them  the 
property  of  cementing  to  hard  masses  on  exposure  to  the  air. 
This  property  is  utilized  in  Paducah,  the  streets  being  cov- 
ered to  a depth  of  several  inches  with  the  freshly  obtained 
material,  which,  in  a short  time  hardens  and  furnishes  a firm 
road-bed,  capable  of  bearing  up  heavily  loaded  drays.  The 


200 


GKOL(XJICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


constant  grinding  of  the  latter,  however,  after  a time,  re- 
duces the  softer  gravel  to  a powder,  which  in  wet  seasons 
covers  the  streets  with  a soft  mud  an  inch,  more  or  less,  in 
depth,  and  in  dry  Aveather  the  fine  dust  is  readily  raised  by 
wind.  The  cost  of  graveling  the  streets  is  about  one  dollar 
per  yard. 

AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

The  various  agricultural  regions  of  the  Purchase  country 

« 

liave  their  representatives  in  McCracken  county,  with  the 
exception  of  the  high  bluff  or  grey  silt  lands  bordering  the 
Mississippi  bottom  lands,  and  the  flat  woods  of  Calloway 
county.  The  following  divisions  are  described  below  : 

( Oak  and  hickory  “Timbered”  lands, 
upianas.  . . black-jack  “Barrens.” 

T i j River  valley  lands  or  flats. 

Ltowianas.  . ^ alluvial  and  creek  bottoms. 

Uplands. — The  area  embraced  in  the  upland  portion  of 
the  county  is  about  one  hundred  and  forty  square  miles,  or 
about  sixty  per  cent  of  the  entire  county.  The  remaining 
forty  per  cent,  comprises  the  valley  and  bottom  lands  of 
the  Tennessee,  Clark’s  and  Ohio  rivers.  The  vallej’S  of 
creeks  are  not  taken  from  the  estimate  of  the  uplands,  as 
they  are  narrow,  and  would  not  affect  the  result  very  greatly. 
The  valley  or  flats  of  Clark’s  river  divides  the  uplands  in 
two,  leaving  about  thirteen  square  miles  only  on  the  east. 

The  upland  surface  is  more  or  less  rolling  and  uneven,  es- 
pecially in  the  eastern  and  south-eastern  portions,  where  the 
many  small  streams  have  cut  very  deeply  into  the  loose  ma- 
terial, often  to  depths  of  as  much  as  one  hundred  feet  below 
the.  general  level. 

In  the  western  and  south-western  portions  there  are,  Iioav- 
ever,  large  tracts  of  land  which  have  but  an  undulating  sur- 
face, rendered  more  uneven  and  broken  along  their  drainage 
streams  and  creeks  by  gullies  and  ravines,  the  result  of  wash- 
ing rains. 

These  uplands  abruptly  terminate  on  the  south  at  the  brow 
of  the  almost  vertical  bluffs  that  border  the  bottom  lands  of 
Mayfield  creek.  On  the  north  they  decline  more  gradually 


OF  M CHACKEN  COUNTY. 


261 


to  the  Ohio  valley,  thou^th  in  the  region  of  Paducah,  and 
thence  southward,  the  hills  facing  the  valley  of  Clark’s  river 
are  quite  high  and  abrupt. 

The  uplands  are  naturally  divided  into  two  regions — the 
Oak  and  Hickory  Lands,  or,  as  popularly  termed,  “The  Tim- 
bered Region,  ” and  the  Black-jack  and  Red  Oak  Barrens, 
generally  known  as  simply  “The  Barrens.” 

Oak  and  Hickory  Lands. — This  division  comprises  two- 
thirds  of  the  uplands  of  the  county,  and  has  a timber  growth 
of  post,  red  and  Spanish  oaks,  hickory,  etc. 

The  soil  is  a brownish-yellow  loam,  varying  but  little  in 
character  to  a depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  except  that  the 
surface  itself  is  darkened  by  a little  decayed  vegetation.  It 
is  underlaid  by  another  bed  of  loam,  somewhat  lighter  in 
color  and  permeated  with  seams  of  apparently  inliltrated 
silt,  a feature  characteristic  of  this  bed  throughout  the  Pur- 
chase region.  This  latter  is  of  greater  depth  than  the  upper 
bed,  the  entire  loam  being  usually  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  deep. 

Where  well-drained,  the  soil  is  loose  and  easily  tilled,  pro- 
ducing good  crops.  There  are,  however,  large  areas  of  flat 
uplands,  from  which  the  waters  are  not  readily  drained,  and 
the  soil,  by  a leaching  process,  has  become  white,  compact 
and  crawfishy,  filled  with  small,  dark  rounded  ferruginous 
concretions  or  bog  ore.  The  soils  of  these  uplands  contain 
small  percentages  of  phosphoric  acid,  potash  and  lime,  as 
shown  by  the  analyses  given  in  the  general  report  (page  170). 

On  the  breaks  or  borders  of  Mayfield  creek  bottom  the 
growth  consists  of  black  oak,  hickory,  poplar,  black  gum, 
dogwood,  sassafras,  persimmon  and  redbud.  The  soil  here 
contains  more  potash  than  that  of  the  interior,  and  in  fair 
percentages,  .329  per  cent.  The  phosi3horic  acid  is  low,  not 
a tenth  of  a per  cent.  The  presence  of  a larger  amount  of 
humus  or  decayed  vegetation  on  the  bluffs  may  account  for 
the  difference  in  potash,  as  the  amount  held  in  an  in- 
soluble condition  is  less  here  than  in  the  interior.  Lime  is 
deficient  everywhere 

Barrens. — In  the  western  part  of  the  county,  reaching  from 
the  west  fork  of  Massac  creek  to  the  Ballard  county  line,  and 


2G2 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURKS 


soutli  from  the  river  valley  or  flats  to  the  road  from  Padu- 
cah to  Blandville,  there  is  a large  area,  covering  a little  more 
than  fifty  square  miles,  on  which  the  upland  timber  is  chiefly 
a low  red  or  black-jack  oak,  the  region  having  once  been 
a prairie.  Only  along  the  creek  bottoms  is  there  a better 
upland  growth.  The  region  is  a continuation  northward  of 
the  large  area  of  Barrens  in  Graves  county,  and  separated 
from  it  by  the  bottom  lands  of  Mayfield  creek,  and  the  high 
uplands  that  border  that  stream  on  the  north  side.  This 
region  has  a soil  very  similar  to  that  of  the  oak  and  hickory 
uplands,  but  it  is  thought  to  be  better  adapted  to  the  culti- 
vation of  tobacco. 

As  in  the  oak  and  hickory  region,  there  are  also  in  the 
Barrens  tracts  of  badly  drained  lands  on  which  water  stands, 
and  which  are  whitish,  stiff  and  crawfishy,  with  an  accumu- 
lation of  small  bog-ore  gravel 

An  analysis  (page  166)  of  a sample  of  this  soil  and  its  sub- 
soil, taken  from  a point  about  four  miles  east  of  Woodville, 
shows  but  a small  clay  percentage,  a small  amount  each  of 
lime  and  available  potash,  a fair  percentage  of  phosphoric 
acid,  and  a large  amount  of  soda.  There  is  but  little  lime 
in  either  soil  or  subsoil,  while  the  potash  in  both,  held  in 
an  insoluble  condition,  is  very  large  (1.5  per  cent.) 

The  subsoil,  taken  at  a depth  of  eight  inches,  contains 
more  available  potash. 

Both  soil  and  subsoil  are  quite  sandy  (or  silty),  contain- 
ing more  than  eighty-eight  per  cent,  of  insoluble  matter, 
and  capable  of  holding  but  one  and  a half  per  cent,  of  moist- 
ure. Compared  with  other  lands  of  the  same  region  at 
Hazelwood,  in  Ballard  county,  we  find  in  this  lower  percent- 
ages of  potash,  but  more  phosphoric  acid  and  lime,  while 
in  comparison  with  the  soils  of  the  large  region  in  Graves 
county,  this  has  larger  percentages  of  potash,  phosphoric 
acid  and  lime. 

Lowlands. — The  area  embraced  in  the  river  valley  and 
bottom  lands  is  a little  less  than  one  hundred  square  miles, 
or  about  forty  per  cent,  of  the  total  area  of  the  county. 
This  lowland  division  comprises  the  hottom  lands  of  the 
creeks  and  rivers,  and  the  somewhat  higher  valley  lands  of 


OF  m’cuacken  county. 


203 


the  rivers.  The  creek  bottoms,  excepting  that  of  Mayiield 
creek,  are,  however,  very  narrow  and  of  no  special  iinjwrt- 
tance,  as  tliey  are  scarcely  under  tillage. 

liinei'  Valley  Lands. — This  region  borders  the  Ohio  river 
for  its  entire  length  in  the  county,  the  Tennessee  river  from 
its  mouth  (at  Paducah)  to  and  a little  beyond  the  mouth  of 
Clark’s  river,  and  along  Clark’s  river  southward  to  and  be- 
yond the  county  line.  The  widths  vary  from  about  three 
miles  at  the  Graves  county  line,  to  five  and  a half  miles 
across  the  center  of  the  valley  of  Clark’s  river,  and  from 
two  and  a half  to  three  miles  across  the  Ohio  river  valley. 
At  the  Ballard  county  line  on  the  north-west  the  valley 
suddenly  widens  to  five  or  six  miles. 

On  the  east  of  Clark’s  river  the  limiting  upland  bluffs 
pass  from  a point  about  a fourth  of  a mile  east  of  the 
railroad  bridge,  southward  to  the  junction  of  the  two  forks. 
A narrow  belt  thence  extends  along  the  south  side  of  the 
East  Fork  into  Marshall  county ; while  on  the  east  side  of 
the  West  Fork  the  uplands  come  to  the  bank  of  the  stream. 

The  western  limit  of  the  valley  of  Clark’s  river  is  marked 
by  rather  abrupt  bluffs,  in  irregular  outline,  for  most  of  the 
distance,  beginning  at  the  Graves  county  line  at  Hard  Money, 
passing  northward  via  Florence  and  Bond’s  stations  to  a 
point  one  mile  south-west  of  Paducah ; thence  the  southern 
limit  of  the  Ohio  valley,  marked  by  lower  hills,  passes  slightly 
north  of  west  via  Maxon’s  mill  to  the  Ballard  county  line, 
about  three  miles  north  of  Woodville. 

The  area  thus  embraced  is  little  more  than  eighty  square 
miles.  The  surface  is  very  level  along  Clark’s  river  to  Pa- 
ducah and  westward  to  Massac  creek,  resembling  a plain, 
from  which  circumstance  that  city  is  sometimes  called  “The 
Plains  City.”  The  surface  is  very  generally  ill-drained,  and 
the  soil  in  consequence  stiff,  cold  and  crawfishy,  and  consid- 
•ered  of  little  value  for  tillage.  The  growth  is  mostly  post 
oak,  with  tracts  of  hickory  timber. 

As  shown  by  the  analyses  given  in  the  general  report  (page 
155),  these  lands  have  low  percentages  of  available  phosphoric 
acid  (from  .030  to  .110)  and  lime,  and  generally  of  potash 
also  (.167  to  .302);  there  is,  however,  more  than  one  per  cent. 


204 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


of  potash  held  in  an  insoluble  condition.  The  post  oak  and 
hickory  lands  are  richer  in  available  constituents  than  the 
l>ost  oak  lands,  as  observed  in  the  analyses  of  the  contig- 
uous tracts  near  Paducah. 

Going  down  the  valley  from  this  plain,  we  find  beyond 
Massac  creek,  at  Palestine  Church,  a tract  of  country  reach- 
ing from  the  uplands  nearly  to  the  river  at  Metropolis,  that 
is  generally  under  cultivation,  with  better  natural  drainage 
than  that  section  just  described.  Its  surface  is,  however,  quite 
level,  and  as  we  go  still  westward  it  becomes  more  and  more 
hat  and  ill-drained,  and  near  the  county  line  the  soil  assumes 
an  ash-colored  and  light  character,  and  at  the  same  time  is 
poorer  in  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  lime  and  decayed  vege- 
tation, and  has  a growth  chiehy  of  post  oak,  except  near 
the  creeks  and  bottoms,  where  the  soil  is  better  and  the 
undergrowth  and  timber  is  heavier. 

The  hat  lands  of  the  two  rivers  thus  described  are  scarcely 
in  cultivation,  except  in  few  small  j)atches  near  Paducah. 

The  soil  needs  under-drainage,  and  deep  and  thorough  cul- 
tivation above  every  thing  else.  Then  the  application  of  phos- 
phate manures,  lime  and  decayed  .vegetable  matter  would, 
probably,  render  available  a sufficient  amount  of  the  potash 
that  now  exists  in  an  insoluble  condition. 

Bottom  Lands. — There  are  no  alluvial  soils  within  this 
county  except  in  a very  narrow  belt  along  the  Ohio,  begin- 
ning a short  distance  below  Paducah.  Wherever  it  is  in 
strips  of  sufficient  breadth  for  cultivation  to  any  extent,  it 
is  found  to  be  rich  and  mellow,  producing  good  crops.  Its 
growth  is  pecan,  ash,  hickory,  elm,  gums,  cottonwood  and 
sycamore. 

The  undergrowth  comprises  dogwood,  hackberry,  some 
papaw,  redbud,  black  haw  and  large  grapevines;  some  cane 
is  found.  Along  the  Tennessee  and  Clark’s  rivers  there  is, 
within  this  county,  very  little  bottom  land,  the  valley  Hats 
extending  generally  to  the  banks  of  those  streams.  The 
bottoms  of  Mayfield  creek  are  broad  and  flat  and  subject 
to  overflow.  They  have  a soil  that  is  cold  and  heavy  in 
character,  and  whitish,  except  on  the  immediate  surface, 
which  is  dark  from  a little  decayed  vegetation.  The  growth 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


2Gr> 


is  white  oak,  hickory,  sweet  gum,  a little  poplar  and  wal- 
nut, and  an  undergrowth  of  papaw,  redbud  and  catalpa. 
The  land  is  not  suited  for  cultivation,  excei)t  in  grasses, 
because  of  its  heavy  undrained  character.  Herds-grass  is 
said  to  do  especially  well. 


MARSHALL  COUNTY. 

Marshall  county  was  organized  in  1842  from  Calloway 
county.  It  has  an  area  of  about  324.5  square  miles,  nearly 
all  of  which  is  uplands,  excepting  the  valley  of  the  Ten- 
nessee on  the  east  and  north,  and  the  bottom  lands  of 
Clark’s  river,  embracing  in  all  about  sixty  square  miles. 

The  valley  of  the  Tennessee  has  an  average  width  of  two 
miles  on  the  north  between  Calvert  City  and  the  river,  but 
up  the  river  above  Grilbertsville  to  the  Calloway  county  line, 
its  width  is  about  a mile,  greater  or  less  in  places.  Its  sur- 
face is  uneven,  a low  and  broad  elevation  of  from  eight  to 
ten  feet  high  traversing  the  length  of  the  valley  parallel 
with  the  river.  On  either  side  of  this  ridge  the  lands  are 
low  and  glady.  There  is  but  a very  narrow  strip  of  bottom 
land  bordering  the  river.  The  elevations  of  Gilbertsville,  Bir- 
mingham and  Aurora  are  respectively  about  339,  347  and 
350  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  numerous  streams  that  enter  the  valley  usually  run 
parallel  with  the  river  for  some  distance,  finally  cutting 
across  to  the  latter. 

From  the  valley  the  uplands  rise  rather  abruptly  to  from 
forty  to  sixty  feet  on  the  north  near  Calvert  City,  and  eighty 
feet  near  Birmingham  and  Aurora,  to  the  dividing  ridge  be- 
tween the  waters  of  the  Tennessee  and  east  fork  of  Clark’s 
rivers.  This  water-divide  is  highest  on  the  south,  viz. : four 
hundred  and  seventy-two  feet  above  the  sea,  and  declines 
northward  to  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven  at  Briensburg, 
four  hundred  and  thirty-two  at  Scale,  four  hundred  and 
thirty  at  Palma,  and  four  hundred  and  seventeen  at  Sharp. 

The  water- shed  of  the  Tennessee  is  from  five  to  nine  miles 


266 


GEOLOGICAL  AKD  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


in  vvidth,  and  very  numerous  streams  drain  the  surface  of 
the  country,  which  in  tlie  eastern  jiart  of  the  county  is 
very  broken  and  hilly.  The  divide  is  very  broad  on  the 
north,  and  narrow  on  the  south,  j:»resenting  altogether  a 
very  large  area  of  level  and  hne  farming  land. 

The  drainage  basin  of  Clark’s  river  is  but  a few  miles 
in  width,  and  the  bottom  land  near  Briensburg  is  one  hun- 
dred feet  lower  than  that  village.  During  the  Paducah  over- 
flow, back-water  from  the  Tennessee  came  within  a couple 
of  miles  of  the  Benton  bridge. 

The  hills  on  either  side  of  the  bottom  are  quite  abrupt, 
blit  are  probably  more  so  on  the  north  side.  , The  bottom 
lands  are  about  a mile  wide  on  the  north  side,  but  very 
narrow  on  the  south  below  Benton,  rising  six  to  ten  feet  to 
the  surface  of  the  belt  of  level  valley  lands  that  on  the 
north-west  connect  with  the  broad  flats  of  the  Tennessee 
and  Ohio  rivers.  These  valley  lands  are  about  a mile  in 
width,  very  level,  and  timbered  with  post  oak.  South  of 
Benton  they  merge  gradually  into  the  bottoms. 

From  the  flats  the  country  again  rises  to  the  divide  between 
the  waters  of  the  east  and  west  forks  of  Clark’s  river,  at  an 
elevation  of  about  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the 
sea,  or  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  above  the  river. 

The  surface  of  this  divide  is  broad  and  quite  level,  giving 
rise  to  a section  of  country  locally  known  as  the  Jlatwoods. 

This,  as  well  as  the  ridge  on  the  north  of  Clark’s  river, 
has  a north-west  and  south-east  trend. 

The  west  fork  of  Clark’s  river  drains  but  a small  section 
of  the  county  in  the  south-west  corner,  its  bottom  lands 
being  about  eighty-five  feet  below  the  high  uplands. 

GEOLOGIC  FEATURES. 

Marshall  county  is  in  the  north-eastern  portion  of  the  old 
gulf  embayment,  its  eastern  border  resting  on  the  Subcarbon- 
iferous  formation.  We  therefore  find  in  the  county  a variety 
of  geologic  formations,  embracing  the  Subcarboniferous,  Cre- 
taceous, Tertiary  and  Quaternary.  The  coal  measures  are 
entirely  absent,  the  transition  from  Subcarboniferous  to  Cre- 
taceous being  abrupt. 


OF  ]\IARSIIALL  COUNTY. 


C(57 

From  'the  Calloway  county  line  on  the  south  the  forma- 
tions have  at  first  a northerly  and  then  a north-westerly  trend, 
followin*^  in  their  line  of  outcrop  a line  parallel  with  the 
old  shore  line. 

SunoAKBONiFFROtis. — On  the  eastern  side  of  the  Tennessee 
river,  in  the  adjoining  counties  of  Lyon  and  Trigg,  the 
Siliceous  division  of  this  formation  rises  in  high  and  pre- 
cipitons  bluffs  nearly  from  the  water's  edge;  while  in  Liv- 
ingston, on  the  north,  the  representative  limestone  and  flinty 
material  are  more  or  less  hidden  by  Quaternary  and  Subcar- 
boniferous  debris  for  some  distance  back  from  the  river. 

On  crossing  the  Tennessee  river  into  Marshall  county,  we 
do  not  immediately  find  high  Subcarboniferous  outcrops,  but, 
after  passing  the  river  valley,  there  is  a low  shelf  or  terrace 
of  that  formation  reaching  inland  from  the  river  for  a few 
miles,  and  covered  by  Quaternary  gravel  and  superficial  loam. 
The  limestones  have  for  the  most  part  disappeared,  leaving 
their  associated  flint  layers  in  place,  exposed  only  in  the 
beds  of  the  streams.  On  the  west  the  formation  suddenly 
disappears,  and,  instead,  we  find  the  sands  and  clays  of  the 
Cretaceous. 

The  only  points  in  the  county  where  the  Siliceous  group 
appears  on  high  ridges,  are  on  Possum  Trot  ridge  between 
the  forks  of  Bear  creek,  and  on  the  sides  of  the  ridges  on 
the  west  and  south  of  Jonathan  creek,  near  Aurora,  in  the 
south-eastern  corner  of  the  county. 

Upon  this  Subcarboniferous  terrace  I have  been  unable  to 
find  any  Cretaceous  or  Tertiary  strata,  and  the  conclusion  is 
plain  that  it  was  but  a long  and  narrow  belt  reaching  north- 
ward from  the  Tennessee  line  through  Calloway  county,  to  a 
point  about  a mile  south  of  Gilbertsville,  or  to  the  edge  of 
the  valley,  where  the  river  cut  its  way  to  westward  through 
the  limestones. 

In  the  Tennessee  river,  one  mile  below  Haddock’s  ferry,  on 
the  Calvert  and  Smithland  road,  there  is  a long  ledge  of  flint 
strata  extending  out  from  the  Livingston  county  shore  in  a 
S.  30  W.  course.  It  rises  to  about  twenty  feet  above  low- 
water,  reaches  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  and 
lias  a wddth  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet.  Its  south-west  end  is  only 


268 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


about  six  feet  above  low-water,  and  suddenly  terminates. 
The  strata  or  layers  dip  eastward  very  steeply,  and  at  one 
l)oint  are  much  contorted.  It  forms  what  is  locally  known 
as  the  Big  Chain. 

A short  distance  above  the  ferry  there  is  another  line  of 
outcrop  of  cellular  chert  in  large  masses,  but  without  strati- 
fication. It  is  known  as  the  Little  Chain,  and  has  a strike 
across  the  river  of  S.  60°  W.,  reaching  for  two  hundred  or 
three  hundred  yards  from  the  north  shore. 

The  south  bank  of  the  river  at  the  ferry  shows  an  outcrop 
of  the  clierty  masses,  and  forms  an  excellent  landing.  It  is 
covered  by  twenty  feet  of  micaceous  brown  loam. 

At  Barber’s  landing,  just  above  the  mouth  of  Cypress  creek, 
there  is,  on  the  north  shore  of  the  river,  a high  bluff  of 
quartzose  sandstone.  The  bluff  is  about  forty  feet  high,  over- 
laid by  Quaternary  gravel.  Its  Jower  layers  are  thin  and 
much  cracked.  The  rock  incloses  pyritous  spots,  and  the 
faces  of  the  layers  are  much  roughened  by  exposure.  In 
places,  the  edge  of  the  rock  is  stained  in  banded  yellow 
lines,  sometimes  evenly,  sometimes  wavy. 

Limestone  appears  one  mile  south-east  of  Calvert  City  in 
the  bed  of  Cypress  creek,  and  also  outcrops  on  the  side  of 
Limestone  Hill,  one  mile  south  of  Gilbertsville.  These  points 
mark  the  northern  end  of  the  long  Subcarboniferous  belt  re- 
ferred to  above.  Quaternary  loam  and  gravel  cove’’  the  hills 
southward  to  Bear  creek,  and  it  is  only  on  the  eastern  side 
facing  the  Tennessee  valley  that  we  find  the  associated  sliarp 
hints.  Xo  limestone  appears  here. 

The  Bear  creek  hills  are  high  and  rough,  the  main  prong 
of  the  creek  howing  along  their  eastern  base,  and  in  the  val- 
ley. The  ridge  between  this  and  Little  Bear  is  known  as 
“Possum  Trot  ridge.”  Its  summit  is  seventy-hve  feet  above 
the  valley,  and  its  sides,  almost  to  the  top,  are  covered  with 
sharp  hint  fragments  of  the  Siliceous  group.  The  ridge  rises 
southward  to  the  Paducah  road,  and  the  Quaternary  loam 
and  some  gravel  covers  these  Paleozoic  rocks. 

On  the  west  of  the  Little  Bear  the  same  hint  hills  are 
encountered,  but  disappear  to  the  westward.  In  the  bed  of 
this  stream  the  hint  strata  appear  in  regular  beds. 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


'M) 


One  mile  south-west  of  the  junction  of  the  two  forks  of 
Bear  creek  there  are,  on  the  hills,  many  lime-sinks,  having 
diameters  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  and  depths  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  being  largely  filled  by  washings  from 
the  hill-sides  The  ponds  that  occur  north  of  these  are  also 
mostly  large  sinks  that  have  become  filled  with  water. 

South  from  the  lime-sinks,  near  Mr.  Riley’s  place,  on  the 
west  side  of  Little  Bear  creek,  there  is,  at  about  forty  feet 
up  on  the  hill-side,  an  exposure  of  hard  siliceous  rocks,  the 
lower  ledge  a conglomerate  two  feet  thick,  and  the  upper  a 
bluish  quartzite,  three  feet  exposed.  They  have  not  been  re- 
cognized elsewhere  in  the  county. 

Going  west  from  Birmingham  we  find  an  outcrop  of  blue 
limestone  forming  a ledge  in  the  ridge  of  the  hills  that  face 
the  Tennessee  valley. 

The  exposure  continues  for  one-fourth  of  a mile  southward 
from  the  Benton  road,  and  then  disax>pears,  the  associated 
hint  alone  being  found  on  hill-sides  to  the  Calloway  county 
line. 

Still  further  west  from  Birmingham,  the  hint  fragments 
are  found  in  the  beds  of  creeks  and  branches  for  four  or  hve 
miles.  On  the  jjlace  of  Mrs.  Lou.  Stone,  on  the  head-waters 
of  Buckhorn  creek,  the  hint  has  decomj)Osed  into  a whitish 
siliceous  earth,  holding  some  of  the  hint  or  hornstone  frag- 
ments. 


It  is  brittle  or  crumbling,  and  is, 
in  part,  stained  yellow.  It  is  several 
feet  in  thickness.  Some  of  the  clay 
still  retains  the  original  form  of  the 
hint  fragments,  as  is  seen  in  the  an 
nexed  horizontal  section.  The  central 
portion  of  each  block  is  usually  stained 
yellow. 

Southward  from  Birmingham  to  Aurora  the  countiy  is  hilly 
and  broken,  especially  beyond  Jonathan  creek,  between  which 
and  the  Calloway  count line  hint  fragments  are  a prominent 
feature.  The  hills  rise  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  river 
valley,  the  hint  api)earing  on  their  sides  to  elevations  of  sev- 
enty-hve  feet  above  the  valley^  North-westward,  toward  Fair 


270 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


Dealing,  the  siliceous  Subcarboniferous  group  is  thus  exposed 
to  one  mile  west  of  Jonathan  creek,  while  on  the  Olive  and 
Aurora  road  its  most  westerly  outcrop  is  seen  on  Clear  creek, 
east  of  Jonathan  creek. 

CRET.4CEOUS. — The  series  of  micaceous  sands  and  clays,  that 
have  been  referred  to  this  formation,  form  a belt  across  the 
county  from  south-east  to  north-west,  and  with  a width  of 
from  three  to  six  miles. 

The  upper  portion  of  the  formation  embraces  from  ten  to 
twenty-hve  feet  of  thinly  laminated  dark  micaceous  clays, 
their  laminae  separated  by  thin  sheets  of  highly  micaceous 
and  fine  white  sand.  The  lower  comprises  white  and  yellow 
sands,  laminated  and  micaceous,  with  very  thin  layers  of  a 
bluish  or  light  colored,  sometimes  white,  pipe-clay.  The  lay- 
ers of  clay  vary  from  a fraction  of  an  inch  to  two  or  three 
inches  in  thickness,  and  are  separated  by,  sometimes,  several 
feet  of  sand. 

The  beds  of  the  formation  are  covered  everywhere  by  from 
twenty-five  to  forty  feet  of  Quaternary  gravel  and  clay,  and 
it  is  only  in  bluffs  or  in  banks  of  creeks  and  ravines  that 
exposures  can  be  found.  Wells,  also,  frequently  penetrate 
into  the  strata. 

The  east  fork  of  Clark’s  river  very  nearly  marks  the  west- 
ern limit  of  Cretaceous  exposures,  the  upper  clays  being  seen 
at  Dishman’s  mill,  Just  south  of  Sharp  on  the  north-west; 
again  in  a well  at  eight  feet  in  the  bottom  land  four  miles 
south-east  of  this,  and  also  on  the  side  of  the  hills  opposite 
Benton. 

The  latter  place  shows  both  upper  and  lower  beds,  the 
locality  being  known  as  the  “Sand  Hill.”  The  hills  are 

from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  above  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
river,  and  are  chiefly  composed  of  loam  and  gravel,  as 


shown  in  the  following  section: 

] . Brown  loam 20  feet. 

2.  Gravel  beds  in  part  cemented  into  a conglomerate  ....  10  feet. 

3.  Light' blue  plastic  micaceous  clay 2 to  4 feet. 

4.  Blue  micaceous  clay  in  thin  lamina?  separated  by  fine  micaceous  sand 

and  in  horizontal  layers 5 feet. 

5.  Thin  layer  of  red  hematite  or  iron-stone,  irregularly  deposited,  and  in 

places  concretionary  or  rounded 2 inches'. 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY, 


271 


6.  Reddish  and  yellowish  micaceous  sands,  changing  to  fine  white  sand 
at  one  or  two  feet — in  thin  layers,  and  separated  by  slieets  of  stiff, 


plastic  greyish  or  whitish  clays — exposed 26  feet. 

7.  Sand  and  clay  debris  to  foot,  but  probably  covering  sand  strata  ....  15  feet. 


The  sand  bed  is  in  strata  with  a S.  70  E.  dip,  as  nearly 
as  could  be  ascertained,  and  incloses  a few  concretionary 
yellow  sand  nodules  which  are  tilled  with  loose  sand. 

The  upper  blue  clay  bed  is  again  exposed  about  one-fourth 
mile  eastward  up  the  branch  on  the  road  leading  to  Briens- 
burg.  Still  further  east  the  Cretaceous  beds  rest  against  the 
Subcarboniferous  rocks. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  near  Little  Cyjiress 
post-office,  on  the  banks  of  the  creek  of  the  same  name, 
one-fourth  mile  north  of  the  railroad  tank,  the  Cretaceous 
clays  are  exposed  in  the  low  bluff,  showing  the  following 
section ; 

1.  Yellow  or  brown  loam 4 feet. 

2.  Coarse  hornstone  gravel 3 feet. 

3.  Ferruginous  sandstone,  uneven 2 to  4 inches, 

4.  Micaceous  shale  or  shaly  sandstone  in  thin  layers,  separated  by  light 

slate-colored  sand  or  clay  stratum  one  inch  thick.  Breaks  sharply 

into  fragments  4 feet 

5.  Bluish  black  clay  in  very  thin  lamin<e,  micaceous  and  pyritous,  and 

separated  by  very  thin  sheets  of  fine  white  micaceous  sand  to 

water’s  edge 6 feet. 

The  sandstone  No.  4 splits  evenly  and  thinly,  and  in 
])laces  is  somewhat  quartzose.  At  another  point  near  this 
it  contains  a few  rounded  and  small  lumps  of  black  clay. 
A section  of  this  bluff  is  represented  on  page  35. 

From  the  McCracken  county  line  the  Cretaceous  formations 
extends  north  westward,  by  way  of  Paducah,  into  Illinois. 

Going  southward  from  Calvert  City,  the  country  is  high, 
and  the  Cretaceous  or  other  strata  are  so  deeply  buried  by 
loam  and  gravel  as  to  be  seldom  exposed  even  in  wells. 

Four  and  a half  miles  south,  a well  dug  sixty  feet,  reached 
water  in  white  sand.  One  and  a half  miles  east  of  Palma, 
a well  passed  through  six  feet  of  loam,  twenty  feet  of 

gravel,  thirty-five  feet  of  white  and  red  sand,  and  five 

feet  of  sand-rock. 

South-east  of  Benton  the  Cretaceous  belt  is  narrow,  and 

the  clay  is  buried  at  sixty  to  eighty  feet  below  the  .sur- 


272 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


face.  Three  miles  south  of  Olive,  the  blue  micaceous  sandj" 
fetid  clay  was  reached  at  about  thirty  feet. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  river,  in  the  side  of  the  hills,  on 
the  road  from  Olive  to  Wadesboro,  and  one  mile  from  the 
jatter  village,  the  Cretaceous  clay,  light  blue  and  thinly  in- 
terlaminated  with  tine  micaceous  sand,  occurs  in  a ravine 
by  the  road  side.  This  is  the  most  westerly  outcrop  in  the 
southern  j)art  of  the  county.  Tertiary  clays  being  found  at 
Wadesboro. 

At  Benton,  the  Cretaceous  clays  were  reached  in  a well  dug 
at  the  mill,  at  a depth  of  thirty  feet,  and  were  not  passed 
through  at  fifty  feet. 

Tertiary. — The  Lignitic  or  Lower  Eocene  division  of  the 
Tertiary  formation  is  alone  represented  in  the  county,  and 
underlies  all  that  portion  south-west  from  the  east  fork  of 
Clark’s  river,  on  the  line  of  the  Cretaceous. 

The  Porter’s  Greek  (one  of  the  Tennessee  subdivisions) 
beds  of  blackish  clays  or  “soapstones,”  alone  make  up  the 
series,  being  exposed  along  some  of  the  streams,  occasion- 
ally in  a ravine  that  cuts  through  the  superticial  gravel  and 
loams,  and  is  also  frequently  reached  in  deeji  wells.  The 
clay  is  blackish  when  wet  or  freshly  exposed,  and  is  very 
brittle  under  the  knife.  It  is  jointed  in  structure,  break- 
ing with  a conchoidal  fracture,  and  when  exposed  to  the 
air,  crumbles  into  a grey  shale,  very  tenacious  to  the  tongue. 

West  from  Benton  we  find  the  clay  outcropping  in  the 
bluffs  of  the  middle  fork  of  Clark’s  river,  and  again  two 
miles  south-east  of  Stringtown,  where  a deep  pit  was  once 
dug  into  it  by  parties  in  search  of  coal. 

The  clay  is  again  found  three  miles  south-west  of  Benton, 
in  wells  at  a depth  of  thirty-five  feet,  and  nearer  town  is 
seen  outcropping  in  the  side  of  a hill  by  the  road-side. 

South  from  Benton,  the  “soapstone”  or  jointed  clay  is 
exposed  in  a branch  at  Pace’s  old  school-house,  two  miles 
north  of  Wadesboro.  The  joints  are  coated  with  yellowish 
clay,  as  at  Murray,  in  Calloway  county,  and  elsewhere. 

Ill  Wadesboro,  just  across  the  line  in  Calloway  county,  the 
clay  is  again  ex^iosed  in  a ravine  immediately  in  the  rear 
of  the  stores.  It  is  deeply  ochreous  and  jointed,  and  forms 
a good  rough  paint. 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


27;i 

Again,  in  a well  two  and  three-fourth  miles  south-west  of 
Nick  post-office,  the  black  clay  was  reached  at  a slight  depth. 
It  again  appears  along  the  west  fork  of  Clark’s  river. 

The  formation  in  this  county  is  a part  of  the  belt  that 
passes  through  Calloway  county  from  Tennessee,  and  north- 
westward through  this  county  into  McCracken  county  and 
into  Illinois. 

Quaternary. — The  entire  surface  of  the  county  is  covered 
by  the  gravel  and  loam  that  belong  to  this  age. 

Prior  to  the  gravel  deposition,  the  surface  of  both  the  Cre- 
taceous and  Tertiary  strata  had  been  much  denuded,  and  we 
line!  the  Quaternary  beds  at  all  elevations. 

The  gravels  are  the  lowest  of  the  series,  and,  as  in  other 
counties,  are  made  up  of  more  or  less  rounded  fragments  of 
chert  and  hornstone  from  the  Subcarboniferous  rocks,  and  of 
all  sizes,  from  an  English  pea  and  smaller,  to  pieces  holding 
fffty  or  one  hundred  cubic  inches.  The  usual  fossil  crinoids, 
favosites,  oolite  pieces,  etc.,  occur  very  generally.  The  thick- 
ness of  the  beds  varies  greatly. 

In  the  Tennessee  valley  no  gravel  is  found.  On  the  Subcar- 
boniferous hills  on  the  west,  immediately  facing  the  valley, 
there  is  very  little;  while  still  westward  the  bed  quickly  in- 
creases in  depth  as  it  recedes  from  the  valley. 

The  beds  are  thinnest  in  the  north  and  north-east  portion 
of  the  county,  and  vary  from  ffve  to  ten  feet.  Elsewhere 
they  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  thick,  increasing  to 
twenty-five  and  thirty  as  we  approach  the  Calloway  county 
line. 

A red  sand  usually  underlies  the  gravel  on  the  northern 
and  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  is  more  or  less  intermixed 
with  it  throughout  the  entire  area. 

White  pipe-clays  are  also  of  no  unusual  occurrence  imme- 
diately below  the  gravel  or  sand,  but  are  frequently  in  thin 
sheets  with  a fiue  whitish  sand,  and  inclose  pockets  of  the 
latter. 

The  gravel  is  often  cemented  into  a hard  conglomerate  by 
the  ferruginous  clays  and  ferric  oxide,  some  of  the  masses 
being  so  firm  that  a fracture  would  pass  evenly  through  both 
the  gravel  and  the  cementing  material.  Such  rocks  are  found 

GEOL.  SUR. — 18 


274 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGKICULTUKAL  FEATURES 


especially  in  the  southern  and  eastern  parts  of  the  county,, 
while  on  the  south-west  they  are  in  thinner  ledges.  They 
are  not  as  prominent  a feature  of  the  county  as  southward 
in  eastern  Calloway,  and  their  beds  are  not  as  continuous. 
They  often  ha.ve  a thickness  of  several  feet,  and  are  dark 
red  in  color,  sometimes  blackened  by  exposure  or  by  lire. 
Small  fragments  of  conglomerate  are  frequently  found  else- 
where among  the  loose  gravel  as  if  transported  with  it. 

The  rock  is  sometimes  quarried  and  used  for  mill-stones, 
and  seem  to  answer  for  the  x>urpose  very  well,  but  are  got- 
ten out  and  dressed  with  difficulty.  A noted  locality  is 
known  as  Millstone  Hill,  on  the  north  side  of  Jonathan 
creek,  and  about  one  and  a half  miles  east  of  the  Fair 
Dealing  and  Aurora  road.  The  rock  is  a conglomerate  of 
white  and  dark  quartz  or  flint  pebbles,  and  occurs  in  ledges 
two  or  three  feet  thick.  It  is  overlaid  by  twenty  feet  of 
red  and  hard  gravel  conglomerate  and  sand-rock  and  loose 
gravel,  with  some  pieces  of  rounded  quartzite,  six  inches  in 
diameter. 

A ledge  of  ferruginous  conglomerate  is  frequently  exposed 
along  the  east  bluff  of  the  east  fork  of  Clark’s  river,  nearlj^ 
capping  the  hills.  It  is  prominent  near  Benton,  and  south- 
eastward near  the  crossing  of  the  Olive  and  Wadesboro  road. 
At  the  latter  place  it  caj)s  a narrow  or  backbone  ridge,  sev- 
enty feet  above  the  river,  and  is  about  four  feet  thick.  It 
also  occurs  near  New  Liberty  Church  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river. 

The  red  sand  underlying  the  gravel  is  often  cemented 
into  a hard  sand-rock — sometimes  massive  and  sometimes  in 
thin  layers.  The  rock  is  more  generally  an  indurated  sand, 
which  hardens  on  exposure.  It  is  not  usually  very  Arm, 
and  is  almost  useless  as  a building  material,  though  some- 
times used  as  underpinning  for  foundations  of  small  and 
light  buildings. 

In  the  Tennessee  valley,  the  only  gravel  observed  was  at 
Cypress  P.  O.,  and  thence  westward  to  the  county  line  at 
Lawton's  bluff.  It  is  at  a higher  elev,ation  than  that  at 
Paducah  and  further  down  the  river,  and  seems  to  be  the 
eastern  limit  of  the  valley  gravel. 


Ol'-  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


2?:) 

The  clays  that  form  the  lowest  of  the  Quaternary  series 
are  of  a still’  plastic  character,  white  or  bluish-white  in  color, 
and  of  various  thicknesses. 

The  most  northerly  outcrop  observed  occurs  on  the  place 
of  J.  T.  Pugh,  two  miles  east  of  Palma,  and  at  Stice’s  old 
mill  place,  still  eastward,  near  the  line  of  the  Subcarbonifer- 
(iiis  outcrops.  At  both  i)laces  some  white  sand  is  associated 
with  the  clay  both  in  layers  and  in  pockets.  Southward  the 
-ame  beds  are  found  at  Mr.  Frank  Burradel’s,  three  miles 
north-west  of  Briensburg,  and  at  Scale,  where  a small  pot- 
tery was  once  begun  but  failed  because  of  want  of  experi- 
enced workmen.  Heavy  beds  are  reported  as  occurring  in 
wells  around  Harvey,  west  of  Benton. 

The  hrown  loam  that  covers  the  county,  and  overlies  the 
gravel  everywhere,  is  in  two  beds,  and  has  a thickness  in 
this  county  of  from  ten  to  twenty  feet. 

The  upper  two  feet  is  of  a yellowish-brown  color,  light 
when  drained,  and  furnishing  the  best  upland  soils.  Below 
this  it  is  of  a stiffer  character,  lighter  colored,  and,  as  in 
other  counties,  is  j>ermeated  with  thin  seams  of  whitish  silt. 

In  the  Tennessee  valley,  the  deposit  overlying  the  blue 
clays  is  micaceous  in  character,  though  otherwise  strongly 
resembling  the  upland  loams. 

On  hill-sides,  the  loams  are  easily  washed  away  by  the 
rains,  and  huge  ravines  are  of  common  occurrence. 

Slides  also  take  place  on  the  sides  of  steep  bluffs,  a nota- 
ble instance  of  which  is  to  be  seen  two  miles  south  of  Ben- 
ton, on  the  east  side  of  Watch  creek,  and  which  has  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  the  “sink”  so  well  known  in  the  county. 

The  hills  here  are  about  ninety  feet  above  the  creek,  and 
their  sides  are  quite  steep.  A number  of  small  terraces  oc- 
cur above  each  other  along  the  foot  of  the  hill,  which  have 
clearly  been  formed  by  the  sliding  down  of  the  loams  and 
gravel. 

The  “sink”  occurs  on  the  side  of  the  hill  about  thirty  feet 
above  the  creek,  and  is  rather  rounded  on  all  sides  of  the 
interior  basin  except  the  west  or  outside,  which  is  parallel 
with  this  part  of  the  hill.  The  side  next  the  hill  is  very 
steep,  a continuation  downwards  of  the  bluff.  The  sink  has 


27C 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


R diameter  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet ; the  outward 
sides  capped  with  conglomerate  gravel,  which  prevent  them 
from  being  washed  away.  The  sink  holds  water,  and  has 
many  logs,  etc.,  in  it. 

Recent  Oracel  Bed. — In  the  bottom  of  Cypress  creek,  the 
Paducah  and  Calvert  City  road  lies  for  a distance  of  one- 
fourth  mile  along  a low  elevation  of  .small,  loose,  but  firmly 
compacted  gravel  without  a loam  covering.  It  resembles  the 
low  gravel  ridges  that  cover  the  loam  of  the  valley  at  Pa- 
ducah— a more  recent  deposit  than  the  loam.  It  is  about 
ten  feet  high  and  fifty  yards  wide  and  its  trend  is  Is.  60  E. 

The  Port  Hudson  Group  is  represented  in  the  valley  of  the 
Tennessee  by  the  blue  clays  and  micaceous  loams  that  make 
up  the  beds  exposed  from  low-water  mark  in  the  banks  to 
the  surface  of  the  valley.  The  clays  are  in  layers  of  from 
a few  inches  to  a foot  and  more  in  thickness,  and  inter- 
bedded  with  white,  yellow,  and  red  sands.  The  exposures 
occur  at  several  points  from  the  Calloway  county  line  on 
the  south,  along  the  river  to  McCracken  county. 

The  superficial  loam  accompanies  the  clay  throughout  the 
entire  valley.  At  Birmingham  it  is  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
thick.  The  river  here  seems  at  one  time  to  have  flowed  on 
either  side  of  the  valley,  for  Mr.  Charles  Lilley  informs  me 
that  in  wells  along  the  river  front,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the 
valley,  blue  clays  are  reached  at  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet,  while 
in  the  central  part,  comprising  a width  of  about  six  hundred 
yards,  the  clay  is  not  reached  at  all,  but  alternating  strata 
of  sand  and  pipe -clay  are  passed  through  for  sixty  feet, 
water  being  found  between  the  clay  strata. 

At  Highland,  near  the  Calloway  county  line,  the  following- 


section  was  observed : 

Brown  loam,  slightly  micaceous 7 feet. 

Interstratified  light  bluish  clay  and  yellow  sand 15  feet. 

Blue  micaceous  clay  in  layers  one  to  two  feet  thick,  with  some  yellow 

sand  and  ferruginous  concretions 10  feet. 


The  lower  bed  or  layer  is  speckled  witli  white  and  deep 
blue  particles  of  the  mineral  earth,  rimanite — a iihosphate 
of  iron. 

On  the  north,  at  Haddock's  ferry,  where  the  valley  cuts 
westward  through  the  Subcarboniferous,  the  clays  do  not 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


277 


outcrop  on  the  river  bank,  the  cliert  and  flint  rock  ledges 
appearing  instead.  Toward  Calvert  City,  however,  the  bine 
and  black  fetid  micaceous  clays  are  reached  in  wells  at  ten 
or  fifteen  feet. 

Again,  down  the  river  at  Barber’s  Landing,  the  clays  are 
reached  at  eighteen  feet,  the  following  section  of  a well  be 


ing  given: 

Loiun 18  feet. 

Hlue  clay 6 indies. 

Yellow  clay 11  feet. 

Yellow  sand 6 inches. 

Yellow  clay to  water. 


ECONOMIC  FEATURES. 

The  natural  resources  of  the  county  comprise,  chiefly,  the 
lands,  timber  and  pipe-clays,  besides  small  quantities  of  vari- 
ous other  material.  All  of  these  have  been  described  in  the 
general  report,  and  it  is  not  necessary,  in  this  place,  to  give 
moi’e  than  a notice  of  the  localities  where  each  occurs,  and 
the  general  character  of  the  most  important. 

Clays. — The  varieties  of  clay  occurring  at  different  points 
within  the  county  comprise  the  greyish-black  joint  clay  of 
the  Tertiary  formation,  and  the  more  recent  plastic,  lighter 
colored  and  more  or  less  refractory  pipe-clays,  together  with 
a thinly  laminated,  dark  and  micaceous,  Cretaceous  clay, 
which  is  exposed  in  the  base  of  the  sand-hill  north  of  Ben- 
ton, in  thin  layers,  separated  by  micaceous  sand.  The  latter 
is  again  exi)osed  below  the  foot  of  the  ujDlands  bordering 
Clark’s  river  bottom  near  Sharp  P.  O. 

The  black  joint  clay  of  the  Tertiary  occurs  to  the  west 
of  Benton,  forming  a part  of  that  belt  which  reaches  from 
Murray,  Calloway  county,  on  the  south,  into  McCracken 
county  on  the  north-west.  Exposures  may  be  seen  a few 
miles  west  of  Benton  at  the  foot  of  the  uj^lands  of  the 
middle  fork  of  Clark’s  river,  at  Brewers’  old  mill  on  the 
south-west,  and  near  the  road  three  miles  south-east  of 
Stringtown,  on  the  north-west.  Wherever  found,  the  clay 
presents  the  same  jointed,  massive  character,  the  joints 
mostly  conchoidal  in  form.  The  clay  is  slightly  micaceous, 
black  when  wet  and  dark-grey  when  dry. 


278 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  dark  color  seems  to  be  due  to  the  organic  matter 
which  burns  out,  leaving  a grey  mass.  Chemical  analysis 
shows  the  presence  of  nearly  forty  per  cent,  of  sand,  one 
per  cent,  of  potash,  and  a little  lime,  besides  magnesia,  iron 
and  soda,  and  a large  amount  of  alumina.  The  clay  is  re- 
fractory in  nature,  but  will  not  take  a glaze.  It  might  be 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  water  jars. 

The  plastic  clays,  variegated  in  color  from  white  to  purple, 
are  found  chiefly  to  the  east  of  the  belt  of  the  black  joint 
variety  just  mentioned,  and  always  just  below  the  gravel 
beds. 

At  Cypress  creek  railroad  tank,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  there  is  exposed,  in  the  bed  of  a railroad  cut,  made 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  gravel  for  the  road-bed,  a stiff 
lead-colored  plastic  clay,  finely  siliceous  and  micaceous  in 
character,  very  similar  to  that  found  at  the  Armstrong 
place,  a few  miles  south,  on  the  east  side  of  Clark’s  river, 
in  McCracken  county.  The  latter  contains  nearly  two  and  a 
half  per  cent,  of  potash,  and  is  quite  unrefractory,  a prop- 
erty that  probably  also  belongs  to  this  Cypress  Creek  bed. 
The  thickness  of  the  bed  has  not  been  ascertained,  and  no 
tests  have  been  made. 

Another  lead-colored,  micaceous  clay  occurs  in  the  hill-side 
at  the  spring  near  the  house  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Pugh,  a few  miles 
east  of  Palma.  It  has  a thickness  of  several  feet,  is  plas- 
tic, and  fuses  with  great  difficulty  before  the  blow-pij)e.  At 
the  Rookwood  Pottery  it  formed  a white  unglazed  biscuit, 
which  on  glazing  became  a dark  cream  color.  Its  shrinkage 
on  burning  was  about  fifteen  per  cent.  This  clay  contains 
only  a trace  of  lime,  but  a little  more  than  one  and  a half 
per  cent,  of  potash. 

Going  southward  from  this,  we  find  another  exposure  of 
the  light  colored  and  plastic  clay  at  Mr.  F.  Burradell’s,  several 
miles  north-east  of  Scale  P.  O.  It  occurs  in  some  deep  washes 
in  the  hill-side  within  an  old  field  east  of  the  residence,  and 
is  in  beds  of  from  a few  inches  to  about  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness, separated  by  yellowish  sand,  and  holding  pockets  of 
the  same.  The  lower  beds  exposed  are  in  thin  layers.  A 
specimen  from  the  thickest  bed,  and  as  free  from  sand  pockets 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


270 


as  possible,  was,  on  anal^’sis,  found  to  contain  seventy  per  cent, 
of  tine  sand.  After  freeing  it  from  the  latter,  it  contained  a 
very  little  lime  and  nearly  one  per  cent,  of  potash.  The 
clay  is  highly  refractory,  shrinks  about  ten  per  cent,  on  burn- 
ing, yielding  a milky-white  biscuit,  which,  on  glazing,  becomes 
darker. 

An  unrefractory  clay  occurs  in  the  bed  of  a branch  on  the 
place  of  Mr.  S.  G-ray,  just  south  of  Scale*  post-office,  and  also 
about  a mile  west  of  the  latter,  where  a pottery  was  once  es- 
tablished for  a short  time.  The  clay  is  quite  plastic,  and 
with  variegated  white,  bluish  and  red  colors,  and  occurs  in 
layers  from  a few  inches  to  as  much  as  two  or  more  feet  in 
thickness,  and  interbedded  with  yellow  and  red  sands.  A 
rather  broad  valley  reaches  to  either  side  of  the  branch,  and 
there  is,  in  consequence,  but  little  surface  covering  above  the 
el  ay.  A chemical  analysis  of  a sample  of  the  clay  shows 
the  presence  of  one  and  a half  per  cent,  of  iron,  a very  lit- 
tle lime,  and  over  two  per  cent,  of  alkalies.  It  is  unrefrac- 
tory, fusing  before  the  blow- pipe,  and  in  the  pottery  test  gave 
a buff-colored  glazed  biscuit. 

These  clays  are  exposed  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  as 
at  Stice’s  old  mill,  north  of  Briensburg,  at  Mr.  Holland’s 
place,  a few  miles  west  of  Birmingham,  and  in  the  hill-sides 
east  of  Clark’s  river  on  the  road  to  Fair  Dealing,  but  are 
not  of  sufficient  purity  or  in  quantities  sufficient  for  working 
purposes.  A gypseous  variety  outcrops  in  a ravine  on  the 
road-side  just  south  of  Benton,  the  gypsum  occurring  in 
needle-shaped  crystals. 

The  blue  clays,  already  alluded  to  as  occurring  in  the 
valley  of  the  Tennessee  river,  are  well  exposed  at  Highland 
Landing  in  the  south-east  corner  of  the  county.  A section 
at  the  river  bank  shows  a surface-covering  of  seven  feet  of 
a light  brownish  micaceous  loam,  fifteen  feet  of  light  bluish 
clay  interlaminated  with  yellow  sands,  and  ten  feet  of  blue 
micaceous  clay  in  layers  of  from  one  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness, separated  by  irregular  beds  of  yellow  sand  with  fer- 
ruginous concretions.  The  lower  bed  of  clay  is  speckled 
with  white  and  blue  particles  of  the  mineral  mmanite.  This 
bed  is  at  water’s  edge.  The  analysis  of  a sample  of  this 


280 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


clay  (see  general  report)  shows  the  presence  of  more  than 
seven  per  cent,  of  iron,  nearly  one  of  lime,  and  more  than 
three  per  cent,  of  alkalies.  It  fuses  before  the  blow- pipe, 
and  on  burning  makes  a dark  red  biscuit. 

Siliceous  Earth  or  Polishing  Powder. — There  is  in  the 
county  a line  floury  jjowder,  rather  clayey  between  the 
fingers,  though  containing  but  little  real  clay,  derived  from 
the  decay  of  the  chert  or  flint  masses  occurring  sometimes 
in  the  limestone  of  the  Tennessee  river  section,  or  in  thick 
masses  almost  free  from  limestone.  Chemical  analysis  shows 
it  to  be  composed  of  nearly  ninety  per  cent,  of  silica,  from 
three  to  ten  per  cent,  of  alumina,  a bare  trace  of  lime,  and 
from  three-tenths  to  one  per  cent,  of  alkalies. 

No  use  has  been  found  for  this  earth  except  as  a fine  pol- 
ishing material  for  cutlery.  It  occurs  at  several  points  in 
the  eastern  jiart  of  the  county,  especially  within  a few  miles 
of  Birmingham  along  the  base  of  the  hills,  and  in  the  region 
of  Aurora.  Pieces  of  the  undecomposed  chert  frequently  re- 
main in  the  clay. 

Iron  Ore. — Very  little  iron  ore  occurs  within  the  county, 
though  some  hematite  was  found  on  the  place  of  Mr.  Cox,  four 
miles  west  of  Birmingham ; it  outcrops  on  the  side  of  a hill 
in  his  field,  in  the  form  of  rounded  irregular  concretionary 
masses,  more  or  less  specular  on  the  inner  surface,  and  in  size 
from  small  pieces  to  lumps  weighing  fifteen  or  twenty  pounds. 
There  is,  however,  no  indication  of  the  presence  of  a suffi- 
cient quantity  for  working. 

AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

Each  variety  of  land,  both  bottom  and  upland,  that  occurs 
in  the  Purchase  Region,  is  represented  in  this  county,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Mississippi  river  alluvial  and  the  Bluff  or 
Cane  Hills.  They  embrace  the  following : 

( Oak  and  hickory  timbered  lands. 

Uplands  . Black-jack  and  low  red  oak  barrens. 

( Flatwoods. 


Tomland<f  ^ valleys. 

ijowLanas.  ^ bottoms. 


OF  MARSHALL  COUNTY, 


281 


The  surface  of  tlie  country,  while  rolling  and  in  places  hilly, 
is  very  generally  level  enough  for  tillage,  and  is  all  timbered 
to  a greater  or  less  extent.  A large  proportion  of  the  sur- 
face has  been  cleared  for  cultivation — some  of  it  now  lying 
out  because  of  exhaustion. 

The  crops  of  the  county  embrace  corn  and  tobacco  chiedy, 
with  some  small  grains.  Shipping  facilities  are  afforded  only 
by  the  Tennessee  river  boats  on  the  east  and  the  C.,  0.  & S. 
W.  R.  R,  on  the  north,  while  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
county  hauling  by  wagon  to  Paducah  is  resorted  to.  The 
lands  differ  in  no  regard  from  those  of  similar  regions  in 
other  counties. 

The  lands  are  more  generally  under  cultivation  in  the  cen- 
tral and  western  x>arts  of  the  county,  especially  to  the  west 
and  north  of  Benton.  The  upland  croi:)S  comprise  corn,  to- 
bacco and  oats,  with  some  wheat,  the  average  yields  being 
about  thirty-five  bushels  of  corn,  ten  of  wheat,  and  about 
eight  hundred  j^ounds  of  tobacco  per  acre. 

Dak  and.  Hickory  or  Timbered  Uplands. — This  designation 
is  poxmlarly  ai^plied  to  those  lands  having  a larger  timber 
growth  than  what  are  known  as  the  Barrens  or  original  prai- 
ries. They  comprise  nearly  all  of  the  county  uplands,  and 
resemble  in  their  features  the  lands  similarly  designated  in 
other  counties.  The  surface  is  much  broken  and  washed  into 
gullies  and  deep  ravines,  presenting,  on  hill-sides,  a more  or 
less  serrated  appearance. 

On  the  divides  between  the  streams  the  surface  is  quite 
level  or  undulating,  affording  broad  tracts  of  good  farming 
land.  The  eastern  x>art  of  the  county  is  more  broken  than 
the  western,  but  the  soils  of  the  hills  are  very  similar 
throughout.  The  timber  growth  is  red,  white  and  black 

oaks,  hickory  and  persimmon.  The  soil  is  a brownish 
loam,  light  and  warm  where  well  drained,  but  where  ill- 
drained  is  compact,  whitish,  cold  and  imxDervious  to  water. 
Decayed  vegetation  darkens  the  surface  to  the  dex3th  of  an 
inch  or  so. 

The  under-clay,  at  a depth  of  about  three  feet,  is  also  a 
loam  lighter  in  color,  and  usually  permeated  with  seams 
of  a light-grey  silt,  which  is  almost  entirely  free  from  clay. 


282 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  entire  depth  to  the  underlying  gravel  is  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet. 

The  soil  is  so  light  and  loose  that  on  hill-sides  it  is  readily 
carried  away  by  rains,  the  result  being  the  formation  of  deep 
gullies.  Such  are  very  commonly  seen  in  old  fields,  and  is  one 
of  the  causes  of  their  abandonment.  No  analyses  have  been 
made  of  the  upland  soils  of  this  county,  but  judging  from 
those  made  of  similar  soils  of  other  counties,  there  is  a de- 
ficiency of  both  lime  and  phosphoric  acid,  and  a fair  amount 
of  available  potash.  While,  therefore,  the  soils  would  bear 
cropping  for  a few  years,  there  will  soon  be  a need  of  sup- 
plying both  lime  and  phosphates. 

Upland  Barrens. — The  area  embraced  in  the  country  known 
as  the  Barrens  is  only  about  twenty  square  miles,  and  lies 
in  the  southern  portion,  being  a mere  border  or  offshoot 
from  the  large  central  region  of  Graves  and  Calloway 
counties.  The  outlines  of  the  region  are  very  irregular, 
reaching  north  from  Wadesboro  about  three  miles  or  more, 
and  from  the  East  fork  westward  to  within  a couple  of 
miles  of  the  West  fork  of  Clark’s  river,  and  beyond  the 
latter  to  the  county  line.  The  streams  within  this  area 
are  usually  bordered  by  a narrow  upland  belt  of  larger 
timber.  The  soil  of  the  Barrens  differs  but  little  from 
that  of  the  Oak  and  Hickory  Uplands  already  described, 
and  has  a growth  of  black-jack  and  red  oaks.  It  is  re- 
garded, however,  as  being  especially  suited  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  tobacco. 

Flatwoods. — This  name  is  used  to  designate  a broad  and 
level  upland  region  lying  a few  miles  south-west  of  Benton, 
and  covering  an  area  of  about  ten  square  miles.  It  lies  on 
the  uplands  that  separate  the  waters  of  East  and  West  fork 
of  Clark’s  river. 

The  surface  is  undulating,  a large  portion  so  level  as  to  be 
glady,  poorly  drained,  and,  in  consequence,  having  a soil  that 
has  become  whitish,  impervious  to  water,  more  or  less  covered 
or  filled  with  small  “black  gravel”  or  bog  iron  ore,  and  al- 
most untillable,  except  by  a system  of  drainage.  In  those 
places  where  there  is  good  natural  drainage,  the  soil  is  similar 
to  that  of  other  timbered  uplands  in  character  and  fertility. 


OK  MARSHALL  COUNTY. 


283 


The  growth  of  tliis  llatwoods  region  is  post  and  l)lack  oaks, 
liickory,  a little  white  oak,  dogwood  and  sassafras.  On  the 
glades  post  oak  is  prominent. 

Valley  of  the  Tennessee. — This  region,  bordered  on  one 
side  by  the  Tennessee  river  and  on  the  other  by  the  high 
and  rather  abruptly  rising  uplands,  has  a width  varying 
from  a mile  at  the  Calloway  county  line  and  northward 
to  Gilbertsville,  to  about  two  miles  on  the  north  of  Calvert 
City,  and  embraces  about  forty  square  miles. 

The  surface  of  the  valley  is  uneven,  a low  river  front  or 
bottom  lying  on  the  east,  and  a slough  or  gum  flat  occupying 
considerable  space  on  the  bluff  side,  leaving  a low  elevation 
of  fifteen  feet  in  the  center  through  its  entire  length,  ex- 
cept where  cut  in  two  by  an  occasional  stream  in  its  course 
to  the  river.  The  timber  of  the  valley  is  white  and  red  oaks, 
hickory  and  dogwood.  The  valley  is  now  much  under  cul- 
tivation, especially  in  that  portion  from  Gilbertsville  south- 
ward along  the  central  elevation,  and  toward  the  mouth  of 
Big  Cypress  creek  on  the  north.  The  crops  are  chiefly  corn 
and  oats. 

The  soils  vary  from  a stiff  clayey  and  crawflshy  nature  in 
the  flats,  to  a light  micaceous  loam  on  the  higher  central 
lands,  where  natural  drainage  prevails. 

In  the  broad  portion  of  the  valley,  north  of  Calvert  City, 
most  of  the  land  is  very  level  and  ill  drained,  and  the  soil,  in 
consequence,  has  a whitish,  leached  appearance,  and  is  com- 
j)act  and  impervious  to  water.  Analyses  of  these  glady  lands 
(given  in  the  general  rej>ort)  show  the  presence  of  a fair  per- 
centage of  potash  and  probably  of  phosphoric  acid,  but  there 
is  a great  deficiency  in  lime,  which,  if  supplied,  would  doubt- 
less improve  the  mechanical  texture  of  the  soil,  if  drainage 
was  attended  to,  and  would  also  render  available  much  of 
the  large  percentage  of  insoluble  potash -minerals  present. 
The  glady  lands  near  the  month  of  Jonathan  creek  show  a 
great  deficiency  of  potash  and  lime  in  the  soil,  though  the 
subsoil  has  a large  percentage  of  the  former.  The  phos- 
phoric acid  is  present  in  fair  amounts.  In  the  insoluble  con- 
dition there  is  a large  percentage  of  potash  awaiting  the 
action  of  lime  and  weathering 


284 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  better  class  of  valley  land,  lying  at  a higher  elevation, 
shows  no  improvement  in  composition,  its  fertility  being  en- 
tirely due  to  good  natural  drainage.  The  soil  is  said  to  yield 
from  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  of  corn,  or  fifteen  of  wheat,  per 
acre. 

Clark's  River  Valley  Land. — The  broad  flats  or  valley  of 
Clark’s  river  south  of  Paducah,  in  McCracken  county,  ex- 
tends up  the  south  side  of  the  East  fork  into  this  county.  It 
lies  between  the  river  bottom  on  the  one  hand  and  the  up- 
lands on  the  other,  in  a belt  about  a mile  or  less  in  width, 
and  reaching  uj)  the  river,  with  a narrowing  width  to,  and 
a few  miles  beyond  Benton.  Its  surface  is  quite  level,  and 
is  timbered  with  chiefly  a post  oak  growth ; and  its  soil  is- 
whitish,  compact,  crawfisliy  and  impervious  to  water.  The 
absence  of  any  natural  drainage  makes  it  cold  and  unsuited 
to  tillage.  Comparatively  little  undergrowth  appears,  and  the 
valley  is,  in  consequence,  quite  open.  These  lands  are  prob- 
ably best  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grain. 

Bottom  Lands. — The  bottom  lands  of  the  county  comprise 
but  a small  proportion  of  its  area,  and  lie  chiefiy  along 
Clark’s  river  and  the  smaller  streams.  On  the  Tennessee 
river  there  is  scarcely  any  land  lower  than  the  valley,  the 
bottoms  appearing  only  here  and  there  and  in  very  narrow 
strips.  On  the  East  fork  of  Clark’s  river  the  bottoms  lie 
chiefly  on  the  north  side  (the  valley  flats  on  the  opposite 
or  south  side),  extending  from  the  McCracken  county  line 
nearly  to  Benton,  with  a width  of  about  a mile ; beyond 
Benton  they  continue  into  Marshall  county,  and  chiefly  on 
the  west  side.  In  the  region  of  Wadesboro  they  widen  out 
because  of  the  junction  of  several  small  streams.  The  bot- 
toms are  subject  to  yearly  overflow,  and  have  a good  timber 
growth  of  red,  black,  water,  post  and  white  oaks,  hickory,, 
maple,  sugar- tree,  lynn,  iron -wood,  walnut,  poplar,  black  and 
sweet  gums,  some  red  gum,  elm,  catalpa,  sycamore,  cypress, 
hornbeam,  beech  and  papaw. 

The  soil  is,  for  the  most  part,  a whitish  clay,  compact  and’ 
undrained,  and  is  derived  from  the  washings  from  the  border- 
ing uplands.  Because  of  this  heavy  nature  it  is  generally 
untillable,  and  scarcely  under  cultivation.  The  surface  jior- 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


285 


tion  is  darkened  bj"  decayed  vegetation  from  the  forest 
growth.  An  analysis  of  a sample  of  the  soil  from  near 
Benton  shows  a deficiency  in  available  potash  and  lime,  and 
a rather  fair  amount  of  phosphoric  acid.  In  the  insoluble 
portion  there  is,  however,  a large  amount  of  potash  which 
liming  would,  doubtless,  render  available. 

West  fork  of  Clark’s  river  crosses  the  corner  of  the  countj^ 
with  a wide  bottom  well  timbered  with  beech,  poplar,  gum 
and  oak.  The  soil  is  a dark  loam,  containing  more  available 
potash  and  lime  than  the  specimen  from  the  East  fork,  though 
still  deficient  in  these  elements.  The  percentage  of  insoluble 
potash  is  more  than  one  and  a half. 

The  bottom  land  of  Big  Cypress  Creek,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  is  limited  to  that  portion  of  the  creek 
lying  in  the  uplands,  for  on  emerging  into  the  Tennessee  val- 
ley the  stream  cuts  its  way  in  a narrow  channel  westward  to 
the  river.  The  bottom  is  flat,  about  two  and  one-half  miles 
in  width,  and  with  a length  of  about  six  miles  from  the  val- 
ley ; it  receives  a number  of  small  and  short  tributaries.  It 
is  largely  covered  with  water,  and  has  a prominent  growth  of 
•cypress. 

The  bottom  lands  of  other  streams  are  of  no  special  inter- 
est, the  soil  being  more  or  less  crawfishy  in  character  and 
well  timbered. 


GRAVES  COUNTY. 

Graves  county  has  an  area  of  540  square  miles,  very  nearly 
all  of  which  is  upland.  It  was  cut  off  from  Hickman  county 
and  organized  in  1842. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  and  within  four  miles 
of  Tennessee,  occurs  the  highest  portion  of  the  entire  Purchase 
Region,  forming  an  imperceptible  plateau  ridge,  lying  nearly 
east  and  west,  between  Lynnville  and  Pilot  Oak.  From  this 
water-divide,  small  streams  flow  southward  into  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  while  on  the  north  are  the  head-waters  of  Bayou 
de  Chien,  with  a westerly  course,  of  the  Obion  flowing 


28e 


GEOLOGICAL  ANP  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


north-westerly,  and  of  Mayfield  creek,  whose  course  is  al- 
most due  northward  (bearing  slightly  to  the  west),  through 
the  county  into  McCracken,  and  thence  west  through  Ballard 
into  the  Mississippi  river. 

On  the  north-east  the  West  fork  of  Clark’s  river  drains  a 
small  area  northward  into  the  Tennessee  river.  The  east 
banks  are  abrupt  and  broken,  the  west  much  less  so. 

The  basin  of  Mayfield  creek  is  narrow,  and  northward  be- 
yond Mayfield  lies  almost  exclusively  on  the  west  of  the 
creek.  On  the  3ast  it  is  bordered  by  high,  and,  for  the 
most  part,  abrupt  bluffs,  from  whose  summit  the  waters  flow 
eastward  into  Clark’s  river. 

On  the  west  the  country  rises  gradually  for  about  four 
miles  to  another  divide,  which,  trending  north  and  south, 
turns  the  waters  of  this  north-western  part  of  the  county 
westward  into  Ballard  county,  where  they  empty  into  this 
creek. 

South  of  Mayfield  th^  streams  spread  out  on  either  side, 
the  main  stream  having  its  extreme  source  in  the  south-west 
corner  of  Calloway  county. 

The  drainage  basin  of  Obion  creek,  in  this  county,  is  wide, 
but,  as  in  the  case  of  Mayfield  creek,  lies  chiefly  on  the 
south  and  west,  the  tributary  streams  on  the  north  and  east 
being  very  short  and  insignificant.  The  north  side  is,  how- 
ever, not  marked  by  high  and  abrupt  bluffs  as  is  Mayfield 
creek. 

The  divide  between  Mayfield  creek  and  Clark’s  river,  with 
that  on  the  south  already  alluded  to,  marks  the  highest  por- 
tion of  the  county,  with  approximate  elevations  above  the 
sea  varying  from  455  feet  on  the  north  near  the  McCracken 
county  line,  475  at  West  Plains,  515  east  of  Mayfield,  and  also 
east  of  Farmington,  to  550  at  Lynnville,  625  four  miles  west, 
and  550  at  Pilot  Oak,  the  ridge  passing  thence  south-west- 
ward into  Tennessee. 

The  divide  separating  the  waters  of  Mayfield  creek  from 
those  of  the  Obion,  '^aries  from  490  feet  at  Cuba,  440  near 
Sedalia,  460  between  Mayfield  and  Dublin,  440  at  Mayfield 
to  400  east  of  Pottsville.  Extreme  high  water  from  the  Ten- 
nessee and  Ohio  rivers  reaches,  on  Clark’s  river,  to  a point 


OF  OHAVES  COUNTY. 


287 


tliree  miles  above  Carter’s  mill  or  Kaler  post-office  ; on  May- 
lield  creek  that  from  the  Mississip])i  does  not  reach  into  this 
county. 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 

The  Subcarboniferoiis  and  Cretaceous  formations  of  the  ad- 
joining counties  of  Calloway,  Marshall  and  McCracken,  are 
not  exposed  at  any  point  in  Graves.  Their  material  had  been 
completel}''  removed  to  a great  depth  before  the  deposition  of 
the  succeeding  Tertiary  beds,  and  in  their  place  we  now  ffnd 
only  the  clays  and  sands  of  the  latter  formation,  and  the  still 
later  gravels,  sands  and  loams  of  the  Quaternary  period. 

Tertiary. — The  lowest  geological  formation  represented  in 
this  count is  the  Porter’s  creek  (Tennessee)  group  of  black 
“soapstone”  or  joint-clays  belonging  to  the  Lignitic  division 
of  Eocene  Tertiary.  It  is  found  outcropping  only  in  the 
north-eastern  part  of  the  county,  notably  in  the  banks  of 
Clark’s  river,  at  Lyell's  mill,  west  of  Symsonia. 

The  clay  is  overlaid  by  the  dark-greyish  micaceous  sand- 
stone that  accompanies  it  in  McCracken  county,  and  over 
this  by  the  Quaternary  deposits.  The  following  is  a section 


of  the  exposure  at  Lyell’ s mill : 

Loam  and  superficial  soil,  etc.,  at  top  of  the  hill ! . 20  feet. 

Gravel  and  yellow  clay  . 4 feet. 

Ledge  of  gravel  conglomerate 2 inches. 

Red  sand  and  a little  gravel 3 feet. 

Gravel,  clay  and  yellow  sand 15  feet. 

Black  joint-clay  (soapstone) 3 feet. 

Greyish  micaceous  sandstone 2 feet. 

Black  joint-clay  (to  water) 8 feet. 


The  gravel  is  coarse,  some  of  the  pieces  being  four  by  four 
by  two  inches.  Large  geodes  (Keokuk),  crinoid  stems,  and 
white,  flinty  and  brown  hornstone  gravel  occur  in  the  mass. 
The  bed  seems  to  dip  slightly  to  the  east. 

The  micaceous  sandstone  contains  rounded  pieces  of  the 
black  clay ; no  fossils  could  be  found,  though  casts  of  Eocene 
shells  are  abundant  in  the  same  bed  in  McCracken  county. 
Seams  of  this  sandstone  frequently  penetrate  the  underly- 
ing clay  in  different  directions,  and  cross  each  other,  and  are 
from  two  to  ten  inches  thick. 


288 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


Tlie  “soajistone”  or  black  clay  bed  is  continuous  north- 
westward tow^ard  Paducah,  covered  deeply  by  gravel  and 
loam.  It  has  been  found  in  digging  wells  near  Hard  Money 
post-office.  It  is  dark  or  blackish  when  freshly  exposed  or 
when  wet,  and  is  very  brittle,  having  a rounded  jointed  frac- 
ture, the  joints  sometimes  stained  with  yellow  ochreous  clay. 
On  drying  it  is  greyish  in  color,  and  inclined  to  shale  or 
crumble  into  fine  pieces,  and  is  very  tenacious  when  applied 
to  the  tongue. 

The  bed  passes  south-eastw'ard  into  Calloway  county.  Ap- 
parently overlying  this  Porter’s  Creek  grouj)  or  “soapstone,” 
or  at  least  at  a higher  elevation,  and  occurring  ten  miles 
south  of  it,  we  find  the  Lignitic  beds  that  in  Ballard  county 
occur  near  Wickliffe.  They  are  exposed  in  the  banks  of 
Panther  Creek,  a little  north  of  east  of  Mayfield,  on  the 
places  of  Mr.  O.  Whitts  and  of  Q.  A.  Cromwell.  The  bed 
is  best  exposed  at  the  former,  and  is  thought  to  have  a thick- 
ness of  six  feet,  three  feet  being  exj^osed  above  water’s  edge. 
The  upper  portion  is  full  of  broken  leaves,  stems,  etc.,  and 
breaks  uj)  in  blocks  and  plates.  The  middle  portion  has 
more  of  a massive  and  brownish  appearance,  as  if  of  lignitic 
jieat,  so  firm  as  to  require  a hatchet  to  cut  it.  It  resembles  in 
every  respect  the  bed  near  Wickliffe,  Ballard  county. 

A stiff,  plastic  clay  is  said  to  underlie  the  lignite  bed  at 
Mr.  Cromwell’s.  It  has  a thickness  of  but  a few  inches,  over 
a bed  of  coarse  and  variegated  colored  sand.  A few  hundred 
yards  south  of  the  lignite  is  a bluff  exposure  of  a bluish, 
sandy  clay,  ten  feet  in  thickness,  disappearing  below  the 
water,  but  doubtless  overlying  the  lignite.  These  clays  also 
appear  in  the  Wickliffe  section. 

W estward  and  southward  these  black  clays  and  lignite  seem 
to  have  been  removed  to  a depth  of  one  hundred  or  more 
feet,  for  in  wells  of  that  depth  they  do  not  appear,  but 
in  their  stead  is  the  group  of  sands  and  interstratified  clays 
(the  latter  in  thin  layers),  which  has  been  designated  by 
Prof.  Safford,  in  Tennessee,  as  the  Lagrange  Group. 

Lagrange  Group. — The  true  relationship  of  this  to  other 
groups  has  not  been  fully  determined,  owing  to  an  entire  ab- 
sence of  fossils. 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


289 


Leaf  impressions  have  been  found  in  the  clay  bed  at  Boaz, 
.a  little  station  on  the  C.,  O.  & S.  W.  R.  R.,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  and  have  been  reported  elsewhere. 

The  thickness  of  the  group  has  not  been  ascertained,  but 
it  is  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet. 
But  few  deep  wells  have  been  dug  into  it,  and  then  the  under- 
lying formation  was  not  reached.  Water  is  seldom  obtained 
at  easy  depths  after  passing  through  the  gravel  and  upper  bed 
of  sand,  and  digging  is  soon  abandoned.  In  bored  wells, 
work  is  sometimes  continued  for  one  hundred  feet  without 
tiiiding  abundant  water,  and  is  then  stopped.  Cisterns  are 
most  commonly  resorted  to  all  over  the  county  for  supplies 
of  water  for  domestic  uses. 

Tlie  sand  is  mostly  line  and  white,  with  admixtures  of  col- 
ored streaks,  and  also  micaceous ; irregular  stratification  is 
generally  observed  in  exposures. 

North  and  north-west  of  Mayfield,  wells  have  depths  vary- 
ing from  thirty  to  fifty  feet,  a thick  stratum  of  pipe-clay 
affording  an  impervious  bed  for  the  waters  of  the  gravel  and 
sand,  a sufficient  flow  or  supply  being  found  at  that  point. 
But  at  Mayfield  and  southward,  we  find  wells  of  over  one 
hundred  feet  depth,  and  in  some  instances  no  water  found. 
In  Stubblefield,  south  of  Mayfield,  eighty-five  feet  of  sand 
and  clay  were  penetrated  after  going  through  thirty  of  loam 
and  gravel.  At  Mayfield,  variegated  colored  clays  and  mica- 
ceous sands  were  penetrated  to  over  one  hundred  feet.  Leaf 
impressions  were  found  in  a white  clay  at  eighty  feet. 

On  the  narrow  dividing  ridge  between  Mayfield  creek  and 
Clark’s  river,  east  of  Boaz,  wells  are  from  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet  deep,  passing  through  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  of  loam, 
four  or  five  feet  of  gravel,  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  of  white 
sand,  and  then  sand  and  clay.  Leaf  impressions  were  found 
in  x>ipe-clays  *at  one  hundred  feet. 

Quaternary. — The  gravel  beds  of  this  formation  cover 
the  entire  county  southward  to  the  high  land  between  Lynn- 
ville  and  Feliciana,  beyond  which  it  apparently  disappears. 
It  begins  to  thin  out  south  of  Sedalia  and  Wingo,  and  is  then 
often  entirely  absent  in  exposed  bluffs  near  the  Tennessee 
State  line.  Lynnville  and  Boydville  are  within  the  gravel 

GEOL.  SUE. — 19. 


290 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


region,  which  reaches  eastward  through  Calloway  county  to- 
the  Tennessee  river,  the  bed  being  from  five  to  ten  feet  thick. 

The  deposit  is  thickest  and  composed  of  the  coarsest  mate- 
rial on  the  east  of  Mayfield  creek,  though  varying  much,  even 
in  neighborhoods.  In  the  region  of  Symsonia  and  Hard 
Money,  in  the  north-east  part  of  the  county,  it  is  twenty 
feet  thick.  Southward,  it  varies  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  at 
West  Plains  and  Clear  Spring,  Mayfield,  five  miles  south 
of  Mayfield,  Stubblefield,  and  west  to  Wingo  and  Baltimore. 

On  the  west  of  Mayfield  creek  it  is  from  four  to  six  feet 
thick  very  generally  as  far  south  as  Dublin. 

Its  material  is  uniform  with  that  of  other  counties,  and 
composed  of  hornstone  and  cherty  fragments,  rounded  more 
or  less  at  edges,  coarse  and  fine  in  thick  beds,  but  becoming 
smaller  as  the  limits  of  the  gravel  region  are  reached;  it  is 
always  associated  with  small  and  round,  smoothly  - water- 
worn  quartz  pebbles,  sometimes  variously  colored,  but  often 
clear  and  limpid.  Crinoid  stems  and  other  fossil  impressions 
from  the  Subcarboniferous  are  more  or  less  abundant.  Pieces 
of  siliceous  oolite  rock  were  found  near  Pryorsburg  and  May- 
field. 

The  gravel  is  always  more  or  less  clayey  and  sandy,  usu- 
ally highly  stained  with  ferric  oxide  to  a red  color.  These 
beds  are  then  known  as  “cement  gravel,”  and  are  sometimes 
used  on  streets,  becoming  hard  and  firm  after  packing  and  a 
short  exposure.  In  places,  especially  in  some  of  the  railroad 
cuts  south  of  Mayfield,  the  beds  are  of  a white  gravel,  in 
large  bodies,  this  either  being  the  color  at  the  time  of  depo- 
sition or  the  result  of  some  leaching  process  by  which  the 
iron  stain  has  been  removed. 

The  gravel  is  usually  more  or  less  interstratified  with  coarse 
red  sand,  as  also  occurs  in  fine  and  coarse  fragments.  Near 
Mayfield  a bed  twenty-five  feet  thick  shows  the  following: 


Upper  gravel  bed,  not  stratified  but  mixed 5 feet. 

Coarse  red  sand  with  gravel  in  irregular  layers 5 feet. 

Gravel  in  layers  of  fine  and  coarse  material,  some  of  the  fragments  black, 

and  inclosing  some  blue  clay  and  sand  15  feet. 

Whitish  sand  exposed  at  base 1 foot. 

The  strata  are  mostly  inclined  westward. 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


291 


Gravel  and  sand  conglomerate,  formed  cementation  by 
ferric  oxide,  is  common  to  all  of  the  thick  gravel  beds,  in  large 
and  small  masses,  in  irregular  thicknesses  and  different  degrees 
of  hardness. 

The  deep  railroad  cuts  along  the  line  of  the  C.,  O.  & S.  W. 
R.  R.  afford  excellent  opportunities  for  examining  the  gravel 
deposits,  their  material  thicknesses  and  metliod  of  deposition, 
as  well  as  the  character  of  the  underlying  material.  Such  a 
cut  occurs  one  and  a half  miles  north  of  Boaz,  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  county.  (See  section  on  page  07.) 

The  sand  of  the  cut  is  hyaline,  or  of  a clear,  light-bluish 
tint  in  character,  and  the  beds  contain  purplish  ferruginous 
concretions. 

The  purple  clays  at  the  base  are  mostly  covered  with  debris 
from  the  bluff.  They  are  exposed  again  near  Boaz,  on  the 
east,  and  contain  fossil  leaf  impressions.  The  clay  is  very 
plastic,  the  upper  three  feet  being  of  a creamy-white  color, 
and  the  lower  two  feet  a purple,  both  holding  the  leaves. 

South  from  Mayfield,  after  passing  the  first  gravel  bed 
whose  section  is  mentioned  above,  the  railroad  cuts,  for  two 
miles,  expose  below  the  brown  superficial  loam  a red  sandy 
clay,  containing  only  a little  fine  gravel.  The  hills  are 
higher  than  Mayfield,  and  it  would  seem  as  if  their  eleva- 
tion was  above  the  general  plain  of  gravel  deposition.  At 
three  miles,  beneath  five  feet  of  brown  loam,  is  seen  a yel- 
lowish clay  five  feet  thick,  then  a mottled  light-colored  clay 
five  feet  in  thickness,  holding  some  scattered  white  gravel. 
On  the  south  end  of  the  cut  the  gravels  again  appear  in  a 
red  sandy  clay,  and  eight  feet  thick.  The  greater  part  of 
the  gravel  is  wdiite,  some  easily  crushed,  and  resembling 
strongly  the  material  along  the  border  of  the  Subcarbonifer- 
ous.  Some  brown  hornstone  appears  among  it. 

Thence  to  Pryorsburg  the  beds  vary  from  five  to  ten  feet, 
and  are  largelj’  white,  the  chert  being  rounded  only  on  their 
edges.  Much  rounded  quartz  pebbles  occur,  in  color  varying 
from  white,  green  and  red  to  black.  The  gravel  is  mostly 
fine  and  thinly  stratified  with  red  sand.  Toward  Wingo  the 
beds  increase  in  thickness,  and  near  town  are  fifteen  feet 
thick,  mostly  of  brown  hornstone  and  stratified.  Portions 


292 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGKICULTURAL  FEATURES 


of  the  bed  are  cemented  into  a ferruginous  conglomerate  in 
plates  from  one  to  six  inches  thick. 

Continuing  south  from  Wingo,  the  thick  gravel  beds  con- 
tinue for  a mile  or  more,  and  are  associated  with  some  gravel 
conglomerate.  Much  is  coarse,  one  piece  of  chert  containing, 
probably,  eight  cubic  inches.  Some  quartz  pebbles  occur  also. 
Near  Brush  creek,  a stiff  plastic  clay,  from  yellow  and  drab 
to  purple  in  color,  is  exposed  in  the  railroad  cut  below  the 
gravel.  It  is  somewhat  sandy  and  six  feet  in  depth. 

Beyond  Brush  creek  the  gravel  beds  become  thinner,  and 
red  sands  and  clays  ai:>pear  above  them. 

In  what  is  known  as  the  “Big  Cut,”  no  gravel  appears. 
The  superficial  loam  is  six  feet  thick.  It  is  underlaid  by  a 
bright  red  sand  mixed  with  lumps  of  clay,  and  standing  out 
from  beneath  the  upper  stratum,  presents  a striking  appear- 
ance with  its  brightly  colored  perpendicular  face.  It  is  four 
feet  thick,  and  crumbles  on  drying.  Underlying  this  second 
stratum  is  eight  feet  of  an  indurated  sandy  clay,  permeated 
with  seams  of  a lighter  material.  Beneath  this  are  purple, 
yellow  and  red  sandy  clays  four  feet  thick,  and  underlaid  by 
an  indurated  yellow  sand,  banded  with  white  and  red  and 
even  horizontal  seams.  This  hill  is  seventy-five  feet  above 
Water  Valley,  and,  as  with  the  hills  near  Mayfield,  seems 
to  be  above  the  gravel  plain,  for  on  going  southward  we  find, 
in  the  next  cut,  a bed  of  gravel  two  feet  thick,  which  is  much 
lower.  We  here  find,  also,  six  inches  of  variegated  pii^e-clay 
beneath  the  gravel,  underlaid  in  turn  by  an  indurated  red 
sand,  inclosing  specks  of  pipe- clay.  The  lowest  exposure  is 
a yellow  and  bluish  clay,  porous  and  sandy,  and  four  feet 
thick.  Towards  Fulton  very  little  gravel  is  seen. 

At  Baltimore  and  vicinity,  west  of  the  railroad,  along  Bush 
creek,  a massive  and  coarse  gravel  conglomerate  outcrops 
from  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  is  about  four  feet  thick.  The 
rock  is  very  firm,  the  fracture  reaching  evenly  through  the 
gravel  itself.  Glravel  overlies  the  rock  for  about  ten  feet. 

The  superficial  brown  loam  that  overlies  the  gravel  and 
sand  all  over  the  county  varies  in  thickness  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet,  and  is  quite  uniform  in  character  everywhere. 


OF  G HAVES  COUNTY. 


293 


The  upper  two  feet  is  usiiaNy  of  a brownish-yellow  color, 
that  underlying  being  heavier  and  more  iiiduiuted,  and  often 
impervious  to  water.  The  lower  bed  is  permeated  with  many 
seams  of  a lighter  colored  silty  material  to  some  depth,  as 
if  produced  by  intiltration  of  the  grey  silt  into  cracks. 

There  are  no  true  sandy  uplands  in  the  county,  though  they 
occur  but  a few  miles  southward  in  Tennessee. 

' ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY. 

Broion  Coal  or  Lignite. — There  is  no  stone-coal  in  the 
county,  the  formations  all  being  of  a much  later  age  than 
the  Carboniferous.  The  only  thing  approaching  it  in  appear- 
ance is  the  brown  coal  or  Lignite  found  on  Panther  creek,  a 
tributary  of  Clark’s  river  east  of  Mayfield.  Some  persons 
have  supposed  that  this  was  but  the  outcropping  of  what,  on 
tunneling  into  the  vein,  would  prove  to  be  stone-coal,  but 
this  idea  is  erroneous. 

The  Lignite  on  Panther  creek  has  a thickness  of  from  six 
to  eight  feet,  and  while  portions  of  the  bed  show  some  pieces 
of  lignitic  woody  fragments,  the  body  of  the  mass  is  of  a 
chocolate-colored  peaty  character,  converted  into  lignite  by 
age.  Numerous  vegetable  leaves  occur  in  the  upper  i^ortion. 
The  following  analysis  shows  its  composition  dried  at  212°  F. 


LIGNITIC  PEAT  OK 

BKOWN  COAL 
No.  2144. 

FROM  PANTHER 

CREEK. 

Hygroscopic  moisture  . . . 
V olatile  combustible  matters 
Fixed  carbon  in  the  coke  . 
Light  ash,  nearly  white  . . 

. . t 

* 1 

4.13 

16.22 

10.25 

69.40 

100  00 

Total  volatile  matters  . . 
Total  pulverulent  coke  . . 

20.35 

79.65 

100  00 

“The  ash  was  found  to  contain  a considerable  proportion 
of  alumina,  some  little  lime  and  magnesia,  as  well  as  a trace 
of  phosphoric  acid.  As  this  material  is  only  a little  more 
than  thirty-six  per  cent,  of  combustible  matters,  it  could 


294 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTUKAL  FEATURES 


scarcely  be  made  available  as  *a  fuel.  Possibly  it  may  find 
use  as  a cliea])  pigment.”  {Dr.  Peter.) 

Clays. — Throughout  the  county  white  pipe-clays  are  abun- 
dant, and  are  penetrated  in  almost  all  wells  that  reach  below 
the  gravel  beds.  Outcrops  are  also  frequent  in  deep  ravines, 
and  from  these  the  clay  can  be  easily  obtained  for  use. 

Along  the  line  of  railroad,  from  the  northern  jiart  of  the 
county  southward,  the  cuts  frequently  expose  beds  of  clays, 
sometimes  of  several  feet  thickness,  suitable  for  either  pot- 
tery, fire-brick,  terra-cotta  or  tiling.  Deposits  of  sand  or 
gravel  and  loam  always  overlie  them  to  depths  varying  from 
a few  feet  to  as  much  as  twenty  feet. 

In  the  cut,  three  miles  north  of  Boaz,  and  underlying  six 
feet  of  loam  and  two  feet  of  a yellowish  clay  with  some 
gravel,  is  a pipe-clay,  white  and  variegated  in  color,  and  hold- 
ing some  small  white  quartz  pebbles.  The  bed  is  four  feet 
thick,  and  is  underlaid  by  three  feet  of  yellow  sand.  The  up- 
per part  of  the  clay  crumbles  easily ; the  lower  three  feet  is 
plastic  when  wet  but  hard  and  indurated  when  dry,  strongly 
resembling  the  siliceous  earth  of  the  Subcarboniferous  chert 
beds  near  the  Tennessee  river. 

The  cut,  a mile  or  more  north  of  Boaz,  has  already  been  de- 
scribed. The  clay  here  exposed  is  highly  plastic,  and  colored 
white  and  purple,  and  has  a thickness  of  several  feet.  The  same 
bed  exposed  at  Boaz  is  five  feet  thick,  the  two  lower  having 
a light  purple  color,  and  is  rich  in  fossil  leaf  impressions. 
The  bed  also  occurs  in  the  bluff  south  of  Boaz  a short  distance. 
Southward  of  the  latter  no  clays  are  exposed  in  the  cuts  until 
one  and  a half  miles  south  of  Pryorsburg,  where  we  find 
white  and  purple  clays  in  thin  strata  of  one  and  two  inches 
in  thickness,  inclosed  in  beds  of  thinly  laminated  fine  yellow 
and  red  sands.  No  thick  strata  are  exposed  until  two  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  Wingo,  where,  in  a cut,  wh  find,  under 
thirteen  feet  of  loam  and  gravel,  a bed  of  plastic  clay,  white 
and  yellow  to  purple  in  color,  and  in  places  somewhat  sandy 
with  a white  hyaline  sand.  The  bed  is  six  feet  thick.  A 
pottery  was  once  in  operation  near  here,  the  clay  being  ob- 
tained in  the  bank  of  a branch,  but,  owing,  probably,  to 
lack  of  “tempering,”  the  vessels  cracked  after  burning,  and 
the  works  were  abandoned. 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


295 


The  clays  in  the  next  or  “Big  Cut”  are  of  wliite,  purple,  yel- 
low and  red  colors  and  somewhat  sandy.  Their  thickness 
is  four  feet  and  they  are  underlaid  by  sand. 

The  bed  is  again  exposed  three  miles  north  of  Water 
Valley,  and  is  the  last  outcrop  to  that  station  and  Fulton 
on  the  State  line. 

Near  Pryorsburg  there  is  a bluff  on  the  creek,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  town,  which  shows  the  following  strata: 

1.  Loam  and  gravel,  the  latter  exposed  one  foot 20  feet. 

*2.  Yellow  ochreous  clay,  plastic  but  crumbly 1 foot. 

3.  Purple  clay,  more  compact,  somewhat  sandy  and  easily  worked  ....  feet. 

4.  Bluish  and  purple  joint-clay,  more  plastic  than  the  above  and  lighter  col- 

ored. In  line  laminic  with  line  micaceous  sand,  and  penetrated  by 
rootlets.  Probable  thickness  5 feet. 

5.  Light  blue  and  tine  sandy  clay,  grey  when  dry 2 feet. 

().  White  sandy  clay,  compact  or  indurated,  very  tine ] 

7.  Thin  layer  similar  to  No.  5 and  six  inches  thick ! cft 

8.  Similar  to  No.  5 but  indurated,  dark  when  wet  but  white  when  dry  . | 

9.  Plastic  earth  changing  to  a light  yellow  mottled  appearance  . } 

10.  Covered  by  debris  from  blutf 15  feet. 

The  lower  fine  strata  are  chalky  or  earthy  in  character,  and 
dip  to  the  north-east  at  about  five  degrees,  some  of  them  at 
a greater  angle.  The  compact  and  fine  earth.  No.  6,  would 
be  useful  as  a polishing  jiowder. 

On  Panther  creek,  a hundred  yards  or  more  south  of  the 
Lignite,  on  Obediah  Whitt’s  place,  there  is  a blue  sandy  clay 
in  the  eastern  bank;  eight  feet  exposed  to  the  water’s  edge. 
It  is  in  places  sandy  and  micaceous  in  character,  containing, 
as  shown  by  analysis,  a little  more  than  one  per  cent,  each  of 
iron  and  potash  and  a trace  of  lime. 

“It  is  quite  plastic,  and  burns  of  a light  salmon  color;  does 
not  become  very  hard  unless  exposed  to  a very  high  temper- 
ature. It  is  refractory  before  the  blow-pipe.  It  contains 
more  potash  than  the  German  glass-pot  clay,  which  may 
possibly  cause  it  to  be  less  available  to  the  glass-maker.  It 
could,  no  doubt,  be  made  useful  for  many  purposes  as  a 
fire-clay,  as  well  as  for  various  pottery  applications.”  (Z>r. 
Peter.) 

An  exposure  of  very  plastic  clay,  of  several  colors,  is  seen 
at  the  School-house  sj)ring,  one  mile  south  of  the  Lignite  bed. 
Thickness  not  known. 

A very  fine  plastic  clay  occurs  three  miles  west  of  Lynnville, 
and  is  being  used  by  Mr.  ,1.  W.  Pittman  in  his  pottery,  which 
is  located  two  miles  south  of  town. 


296 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


The  clay  is  massive,  and  when  dry  very  hard.  It  is  prettily 
marked  on  the  vertical  section  by  line  lines,  the  edges  of 
laminae,  and  when  cut  with  a knife,  shows  a polish.  It 
varies  in  color  from  white  to  grey  and  light  purple;  the 
stratum  is  several  feet  thick,  and  is  underlaid  by  sand. 

For  ordinary  pottery  it  is  too  intractable  and  is,  therefore, 
mixed  with  a more  sandy  variety  which  occurs  near  the 
establishment.  It  contains  nearly  three  per  cent,  of  iron,  a 
trace  of  lime,  and  a little  more  than  one  per  cent,  of  potash. 
A test  at  the  Rookwood  Pottery  gave  a milky-white  unglazed 
biscuit,  which  shows  a shrinkage  of  about  ten  per  cent. 

Another  clay  locality  is  in  the  north-western  part  of  the 
county,  in  the  east  bluff  of  the  creek  near  Lowe’s  post-office. 
The  bed  is  about  four  feet  thick,  and  is  rather  silty  in  char- 
acter. White  sand  underlies  it  here  and  also  in  wells  in  the 
neighborhood. 

A bed  of  bluish  plastic  clay  is  also  exposed  on  the  Mc- 
Cracken county  line  on  the  old  Dolly  Gillson  place,  near 
Mrs.  Houser’s,  on  the  road  from  Paducah  to  Mayfield.  It 
is  four  feet  in  thickness,  exposed  in  the  bed  of  a branch,  and 
is  overlaid  by  about  twenty  feet  of  loam. 

Another  bed  of  fine  plastic  clay  occurs  at  Bell  City,  on  the 
east  side  of  Terrapin  creek.  Its  thickness  is  not  known,  but 
four  feet  is  exposed  above  ground,  covered  by  eight  feet  of 
loam.  The  clay  is  variegated  in  color,  but  chiefly  a creamy - 
white,  and  in  places  contains  purple  ferruginous  concre- 
tions filled  with  sand.  The  clay  is  being  used  at  the  pot- 
tery of  Mr.  Howard  near  by,  and  a good  ware  is  made  from 
it.  It  is  infusible  before  the  blow-pijDe,  and  analysis  shows 
the  presence  of  over  two  per  cent,  of  iron,  a trace  of  lime, 
and  nearly  one  per  cent,  of  potash.  The  amount  of  alumina 
is  greater  than  that  of  Pittman’s  clay  bank,  mentioned  above. 

South  of  Bell  City,  along  the  east  bluff  of  the  creek,  there 
are  other  exposures  of  clay,  but  rather  sandy  in  character. 

The  sand  that  accompanies  these  clay  beds  is  often  of  suffi- 
cient purity  for  ordinary  glass,  though  the  slight  iron  stain 
and  the  small  particles  of  clay  that  are  usually  intermixed 
with  it,  unfits  it  for  the  finer  glassware. 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


297 


The  brown  loam  that  forms  tlie  superficial  deposit  over  the 
county  makes  good  building  brick  when  well  burnt. 

Iron  Cre. — In  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  place 
of  Mr.  J.  11.  McClure,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Hard 
Money,  there  occurs  a red  hematite  iron  ore  in  plates  of  from 
one  to  one  and  a half  inches  in  thickness.  It  belongs  to 
the  Quaternary  gravel  beds  at  whose  base  it  lies;  and  some 
of  the  plates  are  attached  to  and  hold  some  gravel  in  their 
irregular  outlines.  While  there  is  much  of  the  ore  in  the 
neighborhood,  it  is  not  probable  that  there  is  a sufficient 
amount  to  warrant  any  expense  toward  utilizing  it. 

Some  of  it  has  specular  faces,  and  the  edges  are  capable  of 
receiving  quite  a polish.  It  resembles  that  from  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander’s place,  in  McCracken  county,  an  analysis  of  which 
showed  58.68  per  cent,  of  iron,  8.3  per  cent,  of  water,  6.60  per 
cent,  of  silica,  and  1.30  per  cent,  of  other  ingredients. 

Thick  beds  of  ferruginous  sandstone  also  occur  at  Mr.  Mc- 
Clure’s, but  of  too  soft  a nature  to  be  of  value. 

AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

The  slightly  rolling  character  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
uplands  of  Graves  county  renders  them  well-fitted  for  agri- 
cultural purposes,  and  we  find  them  very  generally  under 
fence  or  cultivation.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  uplands 
away  from  the  water-courses. 

The  most  broken  part  of  the  county  lies  on  the  east  side 
of  Mayfield  creek  below  the  town  of  Mayfield,  where  the 
dividing  ridge,  rising  abruptly  from  the  creek  to  an  elevation 
of  seventy-five  feet,  is  furrowed  eastward  by  many  ravines  and 
branches,  whose  courses  are  to  Clark’s  river.  This  is  especially 
the  case  in  that  narrow  portion  of  the  ridge  east  of  Boaz  and 
Viola,  while  north  and  south  the  ridge  widens  and  presents 
broader  and  more  level  lands. 

Another  broken  region  is  embraced  by  the  head-waters  of 
Bayou  de  Chien  and  Obion  creek,  in  the  south-western  part 
of  the  county. 

The  lands  are  all  derived  from  the  Quaternary  loams,  which 
form  a superficial  deposit  over  the  count}'  of  from  fifteen  to 


298 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


twenty  feet  thickness,  except  where  thinned  by  denudation. 
The  upi^er  layer  of  about  two  feet  is  a brown,  loose  and 
light  loam,  which,  when  lying  suitably  for  good  drainage,  is 
of  excellent  fertility.  When  in  hats,  where  the  water  can 
accumulate  on  the  surface  and  remain  until  evaporation,  this 
loam  becomes  packed,  leached  and  whitened,  the  iron  of 
the  soil,  with  some  phosphoric  acid,  being  converted  into 
small  black  gravel  or  bog  iron  ore.  Such  flats  become  glady 
and  crawflshy,  and  suitable  for  little  else  than  grasses.  They 
may  be  reclaimed  by  thorough  drainage,  deep  cultivation, 
and  the  application  of  suitable  fertilizers  or  manures. 

The  lands  all  wash  readily  on  slopes  into  gullies  and  ra- 
vines, and  no  efforts  are  made  in  cultivated  fields  to  restrain 
this  tendency  by  either  horizontalizing  or  ditching. 

The  uplands  are  divided  into  two  general  classes,  viz. : the 
“Red  Oak  Barrens”  and  the  “Post  Oak  and  Hickory  Tim- 
bered Lands.” 

Barrens. — The  Barrens  cover  a large  proportion  of  the  area 
of  the  county,  extending  from  Mayfield,  along  the  west  side 
of  Mayfield  creek,  northward  to  the  county  limit,  westward  to 
near  Dublin,  southward  to  the  Tennessee  line,  and  east  to  the 
county  limits.  The  limits  can  only  be  approximately  defined 
because  of  the  gradual  merging  of  the  Barrens  into  the  tim- 
bered region.  From  Mayfield  creek,  in  the  north-western  part 
of  the  county,  the  Barrens  extend  around,  east  and  south,  of 
the  head-waters  of  Brush  and  Wilson  creeks  along  the  county 
line  southward  to  Fancy  Farm,  south-east  to  the  east  of 
Wingo,  southward  to  the  east  of  Feliciana  and  to  the  State 
line.  Eastward,  along  the  State  line,  we  find  the  “barrens” 
beyond  Dukedom  a short  distance,  when  they  recede  north- 
ward around  the  heads  of  the  small  streams  that  flow  into 
the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  around  the  head  of  Terrapin 
creek  into  the  county  of  Calloway.  They  cover  the  county 
east  of  Mayfield  creek,  northward  to  a short  distance  be- 
yond West  Plains,  and  nearly  to  Spring  Creek  post-office. 

Within  the  area  thus  outlined  there  is,  usually,  a narrow 
strip  of  “timbered  land”  along  the  edge  of  the  bottoms  of 
the  larger  streams. 


OF  GRAVES  COUNTY. 


209 


Within  the  memory  of  many  persons  now  living,  this  region 
was  once  an  open  prairie,  with  scarcely  a tree  or  bush.  One 
gentleman  remarked:  “In  1854,  a person  could  hardly  get  a 
switch  between  Mayfield  and  the  Obion  creek.  Prairie  grass 
grew  as  high  as  the  head  of  a man  on  horse-back,  and  devil’s 
shoe-strings  and  Indian  red  root  plant  were  abundant.” 

Since  the  opening  uj)  of  this  country  to  civilization,  a growth 
of  red  oak  and  black-jack  oak  has  sprung  up  over  the  entire 
region.  These  trees  have,  usually,  a uniform  height  (except- 
ing the  undergrowth)  of  about  twenty  feet,  and  there  is  a 
notable  absence  of  other  varieties  or  larger  growths,  except, 
as  remarked  above,  along  the  limits  of  the  region  or  on  bluffs 
of  large  streams. 

This  red  oak  and  black-jack  Barrens  region  is  regarded  as 
furnishing  the  best  tobacco  lands  in  the  Purchase  counties. 
The  soil  is,  apparently,  poorer  than  that  of  the  timbered 
lands,  and  the  plant  does  not  run  to  weed  so  rapidly,  thus 
producing  a finer  grade  of  leaf. 

When  the  prairies  existed,  the  lands  were  considered  worth- 
less for  tillage ; but  since  trees  have  sprung  up,  the  soils  have 
been  improved  by  the  yearly  fall  of  leaves,  etc.,  and  are  now 
of  equal  value  with  the  timbered  soils,  each,  however,  for  its 
own  purpose.  The  yield  on  the  Barrens  is  about  fifteen  bushels 
of  wheat,  eight  of  corn,  or  six  to  eight  hundred  pounds  of 
tobacco  per  acre.  If  planted  continuously  in  corn  or  tobacco, 
the  lands  are  said  to  wear  out  in  six  or  eight  years.  Clover 
not  only  keeps  up  the  fertility  of  land  but  redeems  old  worn- 
out  soils. 

There  is  a large  amount  of  fiat  or  glady  land  on  the  broad 
water-divides,  and  especially  on  that  on  which  Lynnville  and 
Pilot  Oak  are  situated.  Some  of  the  soil  is  so  thoroughly 
leached  as  to  be  quite  white  and  ashy,  in  fact,  a white  silt. 
In  water  it  settles  to  the  bottom  quickly,  leaving  but  very 
little  clay  in  suspension.  Small  ponds  are  formed  in  these 
flats.  Wade’s  pond,  four  miles  west  of  Lynnville,  covers 
about  three  acres,  and  with  an  average  depth  of  three  feet. 

The  glady  land,  when  cultivated,  is  said  to  yield  well  in 
dry  years,  but  in  w^et  seasons  the  crop  is  drowned  out.  An 
analysis  of  a specimen  of  the  soil  and  subsoil  of  the  Barrens, 


300 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


tliree  miles  north-west  of  Mayfield,  shows  the  presence  of 
insufficient  amounts  of  lime,  phosphoric  acid  and  available 
potash,  though  there  is  a large  percentage  of  the  latter  in  the 
insoluble  condition.  The  soil  is  sandy  and  requires  the  ad- 
dition of  lime. 

Post  Oak  and  Hickory  Uplands. — The  so-called  timbered 
lands  have  a growth  of  red,  white  and  post  oaks  and  hickory, 
sassafras,  and  persimmon.  The  soil  is  very  similar  to  that  of 
the  Barrens  and  gives  about  the  same  product  per  acre.  To- 
bacco, however,  yields  a heavier  grade.  No  analyses  have 
been  made  of  these  lands,  but  they  resemble  in  character 
those  of  the  adjoining  counties. 

Cotton  was  once  cultivated  in  patches  of  from  two  to  five 
acres  each,  in  the  middle  and  southern  part  of  the  county, 
but  seasons  were  too  short  to  make  it  profitable.  The  weed 
grew  from  two  to  three  feet  high,  and  is  said  to  have  yielded 
about  five  hundred  pounds  of  seed-cotton  per  acre.  Planting 
season  was  the  last  of  April  or  early  part  of  May,  and  kill- 
ing frost  occurred,  usually,  about  the  first  of  October.  The 
only  cotton-gin  accessible  to  this  region  is  at  Fulton. 

Bottom  Lands. — The  lands  lying  along  Mayfield  creek  and 
Clark’s  river  are  derived  from  the  brown  loam  uplands,  and 
are,  usually,  heavy,  clayey,  intractable  and  crawfishy,  except 
near  the  uplands,  where  a slight  slope  gives  sufficient  drainage. 
The  surface  is  usually  black  from  decayed  vegetation.  The 
bottoms  are  from  one-half  to  one  mile  in  width  in  the  lower 
portions  of  the  streams,  and  much  less  in  the  upper,  and  are 
heavily  timbered  with  poplar,  gums,  hickory,  beech,  white 
and  red  oaks,  walnut,  maple  and  cypress.  Chestnut  is  found 
on  Mayfield  creek,  south  of  Mayfield.  The  bottoms  are  val- 
uable chiefly  for  their  timber,  as  their  lands  are  subject  to 
overflow. 

Clark  River  Valley  Flats.— flats  (or  valley)  that  in 
McCracken  county  form  so  prominent  a region  along  Tennes- 
see and  Clark’s  rivers,  extend  up  the  latter  stream  into  this 
county.  At  the  county  line,  the  belt  begins  to  narrow  to  a 
little  over  a mile,  and  terminates  just  before  reaching  Carter’s 
mill  or  Kaler  post  office. 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY, 


301 


Tlie  valley  is  very  level  and  open  and  lies  above  high  water, 
and  is  well  timbered  with  post  oak  and  hickory.  The  soil  is 
of  a glady,  crawtishy  character,  very  compact  and  intractable, 
and  is  of  but  little  value  for  tillage.  It  can  be  well  utilized 
for  grass  and  grazing  purposes.  Its  timber  is  also  valuable. 

The  bottom  lands  of  Pryor’s  creek,  east  of  Mayfield,  are 
one-fourth  of  a mile  wide,  and  nearly  all  in  cultivation. 

The  soil  is  a loam,  yielding  ten  barrels  of  corn  or  one  thou- 
sand pounds  of  tobacco  per  acre.  The  growth  is  red,  black, 
Spanish  and  water  oaks,  hickory,  black  walnut,  red  elm,  pop- 
lar, black,  sweet  gum,  slippery  elm,  birch,  some  catalpa  and 
mulberry. 


CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 

• 

Calloway  county  was  cut  off  from  Hickman  county  and 
organized  in  1822.  It  is  the  extreme  south-eastern  county  of 
the  Purchase,  has  an  area  of  403  square  miles,  and  is  bor- 
dered on  the  east  by  the  Tennesseee  river  and  on  the  south  by 
the  State  of  Tennessee. 

More  than  one-third  of  the  area  is  drained  by  the  Tennessee 
and  its  tributaries.  Blood  river  and  Jonathan  creek,  the  latter 
flowing  northward  a short  distance  into  Marshall  county.  The 
basin  of  the  Tennessee  has  an  area  of  about  170  square  miles. 
The  rest  of  the  county  is  drained  by  the  East  and  West  forks 
of  Clark’s  river,  which  flow  independently  north  and  north- 
westward through  Marshall  county.  The  East  fork  basin  has 
an  area  of  about  160  square  miles,  that  of  West  fork  about 
45  square  miles.  A small  area  on  the  south-west  sends  its 
waters  into  Mayfield  creek,  and  southward  into  the  Terrapin 
creek. 

The  eastern  portion  of  the  county,  or  that  of  the  Tennessee 
river  basin,  is  very  hilly  and  broken,  the  hills  rising  suddenly 
above  the  river  valley  to  125  feet  on  the  north  and  160  feet  on 
4he  south. 

Newberg,  or  Warburg  as  it  is  often  called,  situated  on  the 


302 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


river  bank,  is  about  350  feet  above  the  sea,  or  a few  feet 
higher  than  Paducah,  back-water  from  the  Paducah  overflow, 
in  1883,  rising,  it  is  said,  fifty  feet  above  low-water.  The 
hills  here  are  475  feet  above  the  sea,  while  southward,  between 
Blood  and  Tennessee  rivers,  they  rise  to  560  and  540  feet. 
Toward  Blood  river  on  the  west  the  altitude  falls  to  410  feet, 
but  immediately  rises  again  to  550  on  the  divide  between  the 
basins  of  Clark’s  and  Tennessee  rivers.  On  the  Tennessee 
State  line  the  altitude  of  the  divide  is  about  600  feet.  On 
the  north,  near  the  Marshall  county  line,  it  is  only  about  445 
feet. 

On  the  west  of  Clark’s  river,  Murray,  the  county  seat,  has 
an  altitude  of  about  510  feet,  or  70  feet  above  Mayfield  and 
160  above  Paducah.  To  westward,  however,  the  county  rises, 
and  on  the  divide  between  the  two  forks  of  Clark’s  river  we 
find  the  altitude  varying  from  540  to  560  feet,  or  140  feet 
above  Backusburg,  in  the  valley  of  the  West  fork. 

The  above  altitudes  were  determined  by  repeated  readings 
of  an  aneroid  barometer,  and,  it  is  believed,  very  nearly  ap- 
proximate the  true  elevations  above  the  sea. 

GEOLOGIC  FEATURES. 

Almost  the  entire  county  is  covered  by  thick  beds  of  brown 
loam  and  gravel  of  the  Quaternary^  which  hide  the  older  for- 
mations so  completely  that  their  outlines  are  only  to  be  ascer- 
tained by  exposures  along  bluffs,  creek  banks,  deep  ravines 
and  in  wells. 

Tertiary  material  occupies  all  of  that  part  of  the  county 
west  of  the  East  fork  of  Clark’s  river.  The  Eocene  division 
alone  is  represented. 

Cretaceous  sands  and  clays  occupy  a belt  of  country  east 
of  the  Tertiary,  only  the  Ripley  group  being  observed. 

Still  eastwai’d  the  Lower  Subcarhoniferous  rocks  are  found 
outcropping  at  the  base  of  the  hills  below  the  Quaternary, 
while  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee  they  are  covered  by  the 
clays  and  sands  of  what  seems  to  be  the  Port  Hudson  group ; 
the  river  itself  washes  the  base  of  the  Subcarhoniferous  cliffs 
on  the  east. 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


3o:} 

Tliere  is  very  little  true  alluvial  or  bottom  land  along  the 
river. 

Suhcarboniferous  Formation. — Within  this  county  the  for- 
mation forms  a narrow  belt  or  peninsular  between  the  Cre- 
taceous region  and  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee,  reaching  north- 
ward through  this  county  into  Marshall.  Only  the  lower  or 
Siliceous  beds  occur. 

On  the  south,  at  Fort  Hindman,  near  the  Tennessee  line, 
the  bluffs  approach  to  within  a very  short  distance  of  the  river, 
and  expose  a vertical  section  of  limestone,  shales  and  dark 
hint  inclosures,  in  all  eighty  feet  in  thickness,  and  capped  by 
twenty  feet  additional  of  chert  fragments  and  Quaternary 
gravel  and  brown  loam. 

The  ujiper  limestone  strata  contain  a few  Keokuk  geodes, 
and  crinoidal  stems.  Westward,  along  Cypress  creek,  the  lime- 
stone exposures  are  found  near  the  bed  of  the  creek  for  two 
and  a half  miles,  or  a half  mile  beyond  the  crossing  of  the 
Concord  and  Paris  Landing  road,  though  the  sharp  flinty 
fragments  cover  the  sides  of  the  hills  for  a short  distance 
above  the  limestone,  overlaid  by  heavy  beds  of  Quaternary 
gravel  and  loam. 

On  Mr.  Ed.  Brown’s  place,  down  the  river,  half-way  between 
the  fort  and  Buffalo  Landing,  the  most  northerly  outcrop  of 
blue  limestone  in  this  counQ'  occurs.  Its  exposure  is  about 
twenty  feet  thick,  and  there  is  an  absence  of  Hint  or  fossils, 
except  a few  crinoids.  Westward  from  Buffalo  Landing,, 
the  angular  hint  fragments,  which  mark  the  Suhcarboniferous, 
disappear  at  about  three  miles,  the  width  of  the  belt  from 
the  Tennessee  line  northward  to  near  Pine  Bluff,  being  only 
about  two  miles.  It  here  widens  out,  the  western  limit  pass- 
ing westward  about  a mile  south  of  Brandon’s  Mill,  to  about 
a mile  and  a half  west  of  the  latter  place,  and  thence  turn- 
ing north. 

The  angular  flint  fragments  and  strata  on  hill-sides,  with 
siliceous  clay,  alone  mark  the  formation.  East  of  Brandon’s 
Mill,  and  northward  along  the  hills  to  Newberg  and  Highland', 
this  siliceous  debris  lie  as  high  as  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  creeks  and  valley,  but  this  elevation  decreases  westward 
until  the  beds  of  chert  disappear  at  the  edge  of  the  Cretan 
ceous  shore  line. 


304 


GEOLOGICAL  ANT)  AGRICULTURAL  FEATUREf;. 


On  the  road  from  Murray  to  Newberg  the  formation  is  first 
observed  on  the  west  side  of  Little  Sugar-tree  creek,  ten  feet 
being  exposed,  and  thence  eastward  to  the  valley  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, on  whose  bordering  hills  the  vertical  exposure  was 
nearly  one  hundred  feet. 

In  the  region  of  Highland  the  belt  narrows  somewhat,  or 
is  more  generally  covered  by  Quaternary  material,  the  most 
westerly  exposure  being  observed  in  the  valley  of  Ledbetter 
creek,  two  miles  due  west  from  the  river. 

Quartzite. — There  is  a large  area  of  a quartzose  sandstone 
resting  upon  the  western  limit  of  this  Subcarboniferous  ridge 
one-half  mile  north  of  the  Buffalo  Landing  and  Concord  road. 
The  rocks  are  large  and  massive,  in  ledges  of  five  to  ten  feet 
each,  and  apparently  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  thickness  altogether. 

They  outcrop  in  the  bed  of  a branch,  on  the  sides  of  the 
hills,  and  nearly  at  the  summit,  where  their  uppermost  por- 
tions are  surrounded  by  gravel  and  loam  beds,  and  also  cov- 
ered by  twenty  to  forty  feet  of  the  same. 

The  rock  is  greyish-white  and  sharp,  rather  friable  in  places, 
and  a quartzite  in  others,  the  surface  stained,  to  some  extent, 
with  ferruginous  spots.  The  gravel  is  often  found  cemented 
to  the  sides  of  the  sandstone,  in  one  instance  the  cementing 
material,  ferric  oxide,  having  penetrated  the  sandstone  for 
several  inches,  coloring  it  black  and  hardening  it,  gradually 
fading  out  into  the  color  and  texture  of  the  sandstone,  and 
showing  regular  horizontal  upper  and  lower  limits  two  inches 
apart,  conformable  with  the  thickness  and  position  of  the 
mass  of  cemented  and  adhering  gravel.  This  was  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  gravel  deposit,  the  line  being  quite  horizontal 
both  on  this  and  other  sand-rocks  in  the  vicinity.  The  rocks 
are  scattered  elsewhere,  and  altogether  cover  here  an  area  of 
probably  a square  mile. 

They  occur  again  on  the  hills  in  and-  around  Murray,  ap- 
pearing in  isolated  outcrops,  but  always  massive  and  thick. 
In  and  by  the  road  going  north  Horn  Murray,  their  most 
northern  exposure  is  seen.  South  of  Murray,  on  the  hills  to 
the  west  of  the  Paris  bridge  on  Clark’s  river,  they  present 
large  surfaces  which  are  much  weathered  and  water- worn. 
One  of  the  rocks  lies  on  the  hill-side,  and  a deep  and  wide 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


80.^ 


groove  is  out  across  its  surface  as  if  made  l^y  a rush  of  grave! 
or  other  coarse  material. 

A mile  or  more  south-west  of  Murray,  there  are  a number 
of  other  large  sand-rocks  exposed  below  the  gravel  beds  in 
a ravine  or  branch,  all  similar  to  those  first  described. 

One  mile  south-east  of  New  Providence,  other  outcrops 
occur  in  a branch  and  with  a thickness  of  several  feet.  A 
ledge  of  gravel  conglomerate  rests  in  the  hills  seventy-five 
feet  above  it. 

Cretaceous  Formation. — Cretaceous  sands  and  clays  occur 
in  a belt  reaching  northward  from  the  Tennessee  State  line 
into  Marshall  county;  this  is  a continuation  of  the  belt  that 
passes  from  Mississippi  northward  thi’ough  Tennessee,  only 
the  lower  beds  of  the  formation  reaching  the  Kentucky  State 
line.  These  lower  beds  are  classified  as  the  Ripley  group, 
having  been  traced  by  Prof.  Safford  from  Mississippi  through 
Tennessee  to  the  Kentucky  State  line.  There  is  an  entire  ab- 
sence of  those  fossils  which  characterize  the  group  in  Missis- 
sippi. The  series  comprise  thick  beds  of  fine  and  sharp  mica- 
ceous sands,  varying  in  color  from  white  to  yellow,  with  thin 
sheets  or  strata  of  white  or  bluish  white  pipe-clay.  Over  the 
sands  are  thinly  laminated  blue  micaceous  clays,  the  laminte 
separated  by  fine  micaceous  sand. 

In  the  region  between  Blood  river  and  the  siliceous  ridge 
on  the  east,  and  from  the  Tennessee  line  north  to  the  siliceous 
hills  that  reach  the  river  south  of  Brandon’s  Mill,  the  pres- 
ence of  lower  Cretaceous  sand  beds  are  everywhere  noticed 
in  deep  ravines,  hill- sides  and  in  wells,  the  debris  in  the  low- 
lands themselves  partaking  of  the  strongly  micaceous  sandy 
character.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  valley  of  Beechy 
creek,  south-east  from  Concord,  and  of  McCulloch  creek  on 
the  west  of  Blood  river. 

A well  on  W.  McChristian’s  place,  in  a valley,  five  miles 
south-east  from  Concord,  shows  the  sand  at  three  feet  from 
the  surface,  and  its  limit  was  not  reached  at  sixty-five  feet 
Splendid  water  was  obtained.  In  a deep  ravine  at  the  cross- 
roads between  Beechy  creek  and  Tan  Branch  east  of  Concord, 
there  is  an  exposure  of  the  sand  bed  showing  a highly  mica- 
ceous and  fine  sand,  varying  in  color  from  white  to  yellow, 

GEOL.  SUR. — 20 


306 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGEICULTURAL  FEATURES 


and  wifh  very  sharp  grains,  a good  polishing  material  for 
some  articles. 

On  the  west  of  Blood  river,  and  near  the  State  line,  at  Mr. 
Witherspoon’s,  there  were  penetrated  in  a well  the  following 
strata  : Soil,  loam  and  gravel  and  red  sand,  eighteen  feet;  wliite 
pipe-clay  and  yellow  sand,  three  feet;  sharp  micaceous  white 
clay,  fifty-four  feet.  Still  westward,  near  the  head  of  McCul- 
loch creek,  or  about  three  miles  from  the  Paris  and  Murray 
road,  there  is,  in  a ravine  by  the  road-side,  a bluish  and  yel- 
lowish thinly  laminated  sandy  clay  twenty-five  feet  thick, 
overlying  a fine,  white  and  highly  micaceous  sand,  only  four 
feet  of  which  is  exposed.  This  is  the  last  westward  exposure 
of  the  Cretaceous,  and  we  immediately  enter  the  flatwoods 
region  which  is  underlaid  by  the  blackish  joint-clays  of  the 
lower  Tertiary,  which  make  their  ajipearance  just  south-west 
in  Tennessee. 

Northward,  on  the  west  side  of  Blood  river,  the  dividing 
ridge  is  high  and  broad,  and  it  is  only  in  the  eastwardly 
flowing  streams  that  any  Cretaceous  exposures  are  seen.  In 
the  bed  of  the  river,  at  Brandon’s  Mill,  and  still  westward 
along  Wild  Cat  creek  to  a mile  or  more  beyond  Pottertown, 
and  still  northward,  on  one  of  the  branches  of  Sugar- tree' 
creek,  at  F.  H.  Mahan’s  place,  the  blue  clays  are  mica- 
ceous, and  though  more  compact  than  the  Cretaceous  clays 
found  elsewhere,  I have  referred  them  to  that  formation. 
The  clay  is  pyritous. 

In  a well  near  the  latter  place  the  following  strata  were 
passed  through:  Loam,  ten  feet;  gravel,  twenty  feet;  white 
sand,  twenty  feet ; white  pipe-clay,  two  feet ; bluish  clay,  eight 
to  ten  feet ; then  a thin  sheet  of  ferruginous  sandstone  (which 
frequently  occurs  elsewhere  below  the  clay),  one  inch  and 
less,  below  which  was  the  water-bearing  bed  of  white  mica- 
ceous sand. 

At  Shiloh  and  Hico,  near  the  Marshall  county  line,  the 
characteristic  clays  and  sands  are  struck  in  wells  forty  or 
forty-five  feet  from  the  surface.  The  joint-clay  of  the  Ter- 
tiary does  not  appear  east  of  Clark’s  river. 

Tertiary  Formation. — In  this  county,  the  lower  or  Lignitic 
Eocene  division  alone  is  represented,  and  of  this,  the  Porter’s. 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


307 


Creek  and  Lagrange  subdivisions  of  tlie  Tennessee  series  pass 
through  in  a northerly  course. 

The  dark  joint-clays  or  “soapstones”  that  are  characteristic 
of  the  Porter’s  Creek,  and  immediately  overlie  the  Cretaceous 
beds,  form  a narrow  belt  from  the  Tennessee  line  (west  of  the 
Paris  and  Murray  road)  northward  through  Murray  and  Wades- 
boro  into  Marshall  county,  its  western  margin  disappearing 
beneath  the  interstratified  pipe-clays  and  sands  of  the  Lagrange 
group.  Clark’s  river,  from  Murray,  northward,  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  eastern  limit  of  the  formation,  as  the  joint- 
clay  has  not  been  observed  east  of  that  stream. 

The  joint-clay  or  so-called  “soapstone”  is  a hard,  compact 
slightly  micaceous  clay,  blackish  when  wet,  and  jointed  in 
structure,  breaking  with  a conchoidal  fracture ; its  seams 
usually  ochreous,  on  drying  by  exposure  it  becomes  grey 
and  crumbles  into  a shaly  mass.  It  is  more  or  less  pyri- 
tous,  giving  to  the  mass  a fetid  smell. 

It  is  well  exposed  in  the  region  of  Murray,  outcropping  in 
the  banks  and  bed  of  Clark’s  river  near  the  Paris  bridge, 
and  also  in  the  bank  of  the  small  streams  respectively  two 
and  four  miles  north ; of  these,  the  best  exposure  is  had  two 
and  one-half  miles  north-west  of  Murray,  on  the  place  of 
0.  T.  Foster,  where  the  clay  lies  in  thick  layers  in  a bluff 
nearly  twenty  feet  high,  its  ochreous  jointed  nature  being 
well  marked. 

In  another  bluff,  on  Bee  creek,  the  following  section  is  ex- 


posed : 

Loam  and  gravel 15  feet. 

Whitish-grey  clay 2 feet. 

Dark  joint-clay  with  red  seams  and  an  occasional  micaceous  sand  stratum  . 4 feet. 

Black  claj-,  with  a predominance  of  micaceous  sand  strata,  and  in  places 
very  shaly,  to  water 10  feet. 


The  lowest  stratum  is  probably  Cretaceous,  bearing  a strong 
resemblance  to  the  beds  of  that  formation. 

Northward,  near  the  Flint  Spring  post-office,  the  clay  is 
again  exposed  by  the  side  of  the  road.  At  Wadesboro,  in 
the  ravine  in  the  rear  of  the  stores,  the  gravel  is  underlaid  by 
a yellow  ochreous  Tertiary  clay,  which  changes  at  one  foot 
into  the  black  joint-clay. 


3J8 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


In  the  north-western  part  of  the  county  the  black  clays  are 
found,  in  wells,  below  thick  beds  of  white  pipe-clays.  The 
belt  reaches  southward,  and  appears  in  the  east  bluff  of 
Clark’s  river  at  Backusburg.  The  clay  here  is  light-bluish, 
changing  to  a blackish  blue  below  the  water’s  edge,  and  con- 
tains leaf  inijiressions  and  fragments  of  lignite.  In  a well 
in  Backusburg  it  was  penetrated  eight  feet  without  being 
passed  through.  In  these  bluffs  it  is  overlaid  by  the  sands 
and  clays  of  the  Lagrange  group,  as  shown  in  the  following 
section ; 


1.  Loam 

2.  Gravel  

3.  Ferruginous  sandstone 

4.  Gravel  

5.  Sandstone 

6.  Gravel 

7.  Yellow  sand 

I 8.  Sandstone 

f 9.  Fine  yellow  micaceous  sand  in  white  and  yellow  laminae  .... 

1 10.  Mottled  colored  plastic  clay 

I 11.  More  compact  whitish  clay 

-j  12.  Yellow  sand 

13.  Laminated  purple,  yellow  clay  and  white  indurated  sand  with  leaf 

I impressions 

[ 14.  Light  bluish  clays  changing  to  black  below  the  water  


15  to  20  ft. 
2 feet. 

1 foot. 
18  inches. 
12  inches. 

2 feet. 
4 feet. 

1 foot. 
18  feet. 

18  inches. 
14  inches. 

2 feet. 

20  feet 

3 feet. 


At  Coldwater,  a few  miles  southward,  the  black  clay,  sandy 
in  character,  is  said  to  have  been  struck  at  twenty  feet  in  dig- 
ging a well  in  a creek  bottom,  while  still  southward,  near  Har- 
ris Grove,  it  was  reached  at  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  in  a well  on  the  uplands  or  about  fifty  feet  below  that  of 
the  bottom.  A log  of  lignite  is  said  to  have  been  cut  in  two 
at  that  depth. 

The  Lagrange  group  of  interstratified  pipe-clays  and  white 
and  yellow  sands  overlie  the  blue  clays  in  the  western  part' 
of  the  county. 

A section  is  shown  in  the  bluff  at  Backusburg,  as  above 
given,  and  its  upper  beds  of  white  pipe-clay  (Nos.  10  and  11), 
are  found  northward . near  Wyatt’s  school-house,  and  south- 
ward at  Bell  City,  the  latter,  however,  being  somewhat  darker. 

The  white  pipe-clays  found  elsewhere  in  the  county,  per- 
haps, belong  to  this  bed,  underlying,  as  they  do,  the  gravel 
deposits. 

Quaternary  Formation. — The  stratified  drift  and  superficial 
brown  loams  cover  almost  the  entire  county,  resting  alike 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


809 


upon  tlie  Tertiary,  Cretaceous  and  the  narrow  Subcarbonifer- 
ous  belt  lying  between  the  latter  and  the  Tennessee  valley. 

The  stratified  drift  embraces  a lower  bed  of  coarse  red 
sand,  holding  lumps  or  small  sheets  of  whitish  pipe  clay, 
mostly  rounded,  and  an  upper  bed  of  rounded  chert  and 
hornstone  gravel,  with  a few  small  quartz  pebbles  and  Sub- 
carboniferous  fossils. 

The  sand  is  more  or  less  stratified  and  often  highly  indu- 
rated and  cemented  by  ferric  oxide  into  ledges  or  blocks  of 
ferruginous  sandstone.  A noted  occurrence  of  the  latter  has 
been  given  above  in  the  bluff  at  Backusburg.  The  sandstone 
is  found  in  many  localities,  the  beds  at  Concord  beings  several 
feet  in  thickness. 

On  the  west  side  of  Blood  river,  in  the  valley  of  Panther 
creek,  the  red  sand  is  indurated  and  stratified  in  wavy  or 
irregular  lajers,  and  holds  much  white,  plastic  pipe-clay  in 
rounded  balls  and  sheets ; it  is  said  to  be  twenty  feet  thick. 

Still  further  north,  or  about  two  and  one-half  miles  south- 
east of  Shiloh,  on  the  place  of  F.  H.  Mahan,  Esq.,  the  same 
beds  are  found  on  Sugar-tree  creek.  The  red  sand  holding 
the  clay  concretions  are  in  irregular  horizontal  layers,  and 
overlie  a bed  of  evenly  deposited  sands  in  strata  dipping  to 
the  north. 

On  the  hill-side  here  they  have  been  cemented  into  many 
rounded  concretions  of  all  imaginable  forms,  large  and  small, 
sometimes  resembling,  in  some  degree,  the  bodies  of  animals. 
The  concretions  usually  inclose  sand. 

The  grarel  beds  are  irregularly  distributed  on  the  uplands, 
their  greatest  thickness  being  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  where  it  varies  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  At  Lo- 
cust Grove,  south  of  Murray,  a thickness  of  twenty-five  feet 
is  said  to  have  been  passed  through  in  wells,  but  this  is  local. 

To  the  south  and  south-west  the  beds  thin  out  to  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  at  Murray  and  Harris  Grove,  and  to  but  two  to 
five  feet  at  Bell  City  and  Crossland,  while  two  miles  west  of 
the  latter  place  gravel  is  not  found,  deep  sand  beds  alone 
appearing.  The  gravel  also  becomes  finer  as  it  thins  out. 

On  the  south-east,  all  the  way  to  the  State  line,  the  aver- 
age thickness  of  the  bed  is  about  ten  feet. 


310  GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGIIICULTUKAL  FEATURES 

I 

On  the  Subcarboniferoiis  ridge  tliat  forms  the  western  bor- 
der of  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee,  the  gravel  is  chiefly  found 
from  the  Tennessee  State  line  northward  for  five  or  six  miles ; 
but  thence  nearly  to  Newburg,  the  deposit  is  usually  very 
thin,  if,  indeed,  it  occurs  at  all,  the  summit  of  this  older  for- 
mation being  almost  above  the  horizon  of  gravel  dejiosition. 

An  interesting  feature  that  pertains  to  the  gravel  beds  of 
this  part  of  the  Purchase  is  the  large  region  over  which  a 
portion  of  the  bed  has  been  cemented  into  a hard  conglomer- 
ate, forming  a regular  and  apparently  continuous  bed  beneath 
the  superficial  loam  upon  the  unbroken  uplands.  This  region 
lies  between  Clark’s  river  on  the  west  and  the  Subcarbonifer- 
ous  ridge  on  the  east,  and  from  the  Tennessee  line  northward 
to  Marshall  county,  covering  the  territory  underlaid  by  the 
Cretaceous. 

This  conglomerate  is  similar  to  the  more  isolated  masses  of 
Marshall  and  McCracken  counties,  and  its  rounded  hornstone 
gravel  is  so  firmly  cemented  as  to  break  regularly  with  the 
rock.  The  thickness  varies  from  three  to  as  much  as  twenty 
feet,  the  rock  usually  appearing  in  layers  each  two  to  four 
feet  thick. 

In  the  broad  table  land  forming  the  divide  between  the 
waters  of  Clark’s  and  Blood  rivers,  the  rock  is  said  to  be 
struck  in  almost  every  well  that  is  dug,  and  its  outcropping 
edges  are  found,  very  generally,  on  the  hill-sides  (unless  cov- 
ered by  debris),  where  their  continuity  has  been  broken  by 
erosion  of  the  surface  of  the  country.  Such  exposures  are 
seen  on  the  road  east  from  New  Providence,  and  also  on  the 
western  upland  bluff  of  Blood  river,  on  the  road  leading  from 
Murray  to  Concord,  where  it  comes  to  the  surface.  East  of 
Clark’s  river  the  rock  is  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  though  in 
wells  further  east  it  seems  to  be  but  two  feet. 

Northward,  on  the  road  from  Murray  to  Newburg,  at  F. 
H.  Mahan’s,  Esq.,  there  is  an  interesting  locality,  which  is 
locally  termed  “The  Volcano,”  because  of  its  rough  and 
broken  appearance,  caused  by  the  upturned  masses  of  gravel 
conglomerate  in  the  creek  bottom.  It  covers  an  area  of 
about  three-eighths  of  a mile  north  and  south,  and  one-half 
mile  east  and  west  on  Big  Sugar- tree  creek. 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


311 


The  region  shows,  admirably,  the  effects  produced  by  water 
currents  in  the  undermining  of  rock  strata  and  the  breaking 
in  of  the  table-rock,  and  subsequent  disintegration  and  wash- 
ing away  of  the  smaller  masses  of  debris.  Here  the  summits 
of  the  hills  are  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  creek,  the 
upper  portion  composed  largely  of  gravel  and  a conglomer- 
ate of  gravel  ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick.  This  originally  rested 
upon  a bed  of  stratified  highly  micaceous  fine  sand,  proba- 
bly Cretaceous,  seventy  or  eighty  feet  of  which  is  now  ex- 
posed in  the  bluffs. 

The  creek,  doubtless,  removed  these  sands  from  beneath 
the  conglomerate,  and  the  latter,  from  their  own  weight, 
broke  apart  and  fell  into  the  deep  chasm.  These  immense 
rock  masses  now  occupy,  in  some  places  nearly  horizontal, 
and  in  others  almost  vertical,  positions,  and  dip  or  rather 
slope  toward  the  center  of  the  valley.  A large  part  of 
them  have  been  worn  away,  and  those  left  occupy  some- 
what isolated  positions.  In  the  valley,  and  parallel  with 
the  bluffs,  are  low  ridges  composed  almost  altogether  of 
loose  gravel  from  the  disintegration  of  the  rock?k 

There  is  a so-called  cave  known  as  Hogan’s  Hoie,  reaching 
now  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  under  one  of  the  large  and  nearly 
horizontal  rocks.  It  is  said  to  have  been,  at  the  time  of  the 
first  settling  of  the  county  in  1828  or  1830,  the  hiding  place 
of  a murderer,  who  was  captured  only  by  being  smoked  out 
by  the  posse  of  men.  ^ 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  county  the  conglomerate  is  not 
as  prominent,  though  frequently  observed  jutting  out  in  bluffs 
beneath  the  gravel  and  loam. 

On  the  east  bluff  of  Clark’s  river,  several  miles  north  of 
Murray,  there  is  an  exposure  of  twenty-five  feet  of  the  hard 
conglomerate  in  layers  of  two  to  four  feet. 

The  Brown  Loam,  comprising  the.  upper  part  of  the  Qua- 
ternary, covers  nearly  the  entire  surface  of  the  county.  Its 
thickness  varies  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  on  the  west  and 
north-west,  to  six  or  ten  feet  at  Murray,  southward  and  east- 
ward, and  less  than  that  toward  the  Subcarboniferous  ridge, 
upon  which  it  is  very  thin.  Its  characters  are  the  same  as  in 
other  counties,  viz. : an  upper  two  feet  of  brownish-yellow 


312 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


and  easily  tillable  loam,  and  an  under-stratum  of  heavier 
but  lighter  colored  loam,  permeated  with  seams  of  a grey, 
silty  earth. 

In  the  Tennessee  Valley  the  loams  of  the  valley  proper 
are  similar  to  the  above,  but  are  somewhat  micaceous. 

I^orl  Hudson  Group. — This  formation,  represented  by  blue 
clays  and  lighter  micaceous  loams,  occupies  the  valley  of  the 
Tennessee  river,  its  initial  point  being  at  or  near  the  ]ioint 
where  the  State  line  strikes  the  river,  and  where  the  high 
limestone  cliffs  almost  reach  to  the  water’s  edge.  This  point, 
too,  may  be  regarded  as  the  base  of  the  long  and  narrow 
Subcarboniferous  peninsular  that  reaches  northward  to  Cal- 
vert City,  a distance  of  thirty  five  miles. 

As  shown  at  Highland  Landing,  at  the  Marshall  county  line, 
the  beds  embrace  twenty-five  feet  of  alternating  deep  blue  or 
blackish  clays  and  yellowish  sands,  in  layers  varying  from  a 
foot  or  more  to  only  a few  inches.  A bright-blue  mineral 
earth,  Vivianite  (a  phosphate  of  iron),  speckles  the  lower 
exposed  blue  clay  bed.  A brownish  micaceous  loam,  seven 
feet  in  thickness,  caps  the  blue  clay  and  sand  formation. 

At  Newburg  the  same  beds  occur,  but  the  Vivianite  was 
not  observed.  At  Pine  Bluff  a section  shows  fifteen  feet  of 
micaceous  loam,  a few  feet  of  stiller,  lighter  clay,  underlaid 
by  the  interstratified  blue  clay  and  yellow  sands.  Southward, 
or  up  the  river,  the  formation  is  overlaid  by  a foot  of  gravel 
and  several  feet  of  red  clay,  which  is  a feature  characteristic 
of  the  valley  of  the  river  a few  miles  southward  in  Tennessee. 
The  valley  has  a width  of  about  a mile. 

ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY. 

The  chief  natural  resources  of  the  county  are  its  soils,  tim- 
bers, clays  and  iron  ores.  Besides  these,  there  is  but  little  else 
worthy  of  mention.  The  first  two  will  be  treated  of  under  the 
head  of  agricultural  features. 

Clays. — There  are,  within  the  county,  quite  a variety  of 
clays,  refractory  and  unrefractory,  and  in  color  from  a creamy- 
white  to  blue  and  black.  With  cheap  and  easy  transportation 
facilities,  many  of  them  would,  probably,  find  a ready  market 
for  the  manufacture  of  various  wares. 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


313 


Tlie  black  joint-clays  or  “soapstones”  so-called,  occupy  a 
belt  from  the  Tennessee  State  line,  northward  tlirough  Mur- 
ray and  Wadesboro  into  Marsliall  county,  being  exposed  at 
a number  of  points  along  the  west  side  of  Clark’s  river. 
They  underlie  the  Flatvvoods  of  the  southern  j)art  of  the 
county  west  of  New  Providence. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  exposures  is  in  the  north 
bluff  of  Clark’s  river  at  the  Paris  bridge,  a mile  south  of 
Murray.  The  clay  here  is,  as  elsewhere,  in  jointed  layers 
with  a yellow  ochreous  clay  i:>ermeating  the  seams.  The 
joints  have  a conchoidal  character.  The  clay  is  massive, 
blackish  when  wet  or  freshly  exposed,  and  becomes  of  a grey 
color  on  drying,  when  it  is  also  highly  tenacious.  Very  fine 
mica  scales  give  a more  or  less  sparkling  appearance  to  the 
clay. 

Other  exposures  of  ten  to  twenty  feet  again  occur  in  the 
bluffs  of  creeks  north  of  Murray,  and  in  the  ravines  that  bor- 
der the  road  northward  to  Wadesboro. 

The  thickness  of  the  bed  has  not  been  ascertained,  and  in 
the  deepest  wells  of  the  region  the  clay  has  not  been  passed 
through. 

At  Wadesboro,  the  upper  part  of  the  bed,  as  seen  in  the 
ravine  just  back  of  the  stores,  is  highly  ochreous  in  charac- 
ter for  six  or  more  inches. 

A chemical  analysis  of  a sample  from  the  Paris  bridge 
shows  the  presence  of  but  a small  amount  of  lime,  nearly 
one  per  cent,  of  potash,  and  three  and  a half  of  iron,  after 
nearly  forty  per  cent,  of  sand  had  been  removed.  Tests 
made  at  the  Rookwood  pottery  show  it  to  be  refractory  at  a 
high  temperature,  producing  a pinkish  unglazed  biscuit. 

It  cannot  be  glazed  except  by  the  intermixture  of  a large 
proportion  of  other  more  plastic  clays,  the  glaze  otherwise 
having  a tendency  to  shiver.  The  specks  of  mica  produce 
small  black  dots  in  the  biscuit.  The  clay  can,  therefore,  be 
used  only  for  such  ware  as  require  no  glazing. 

Another  class  of  black  clays,  more  plastic  in  character, 
occurs  east  of  the  joint -clays  just  described,  a prominent  out- 
crop being  on  the  place  of  F.  H.  Mahan,  Esq.,  six  miles  a 
little  north  of  east  of  Murray.  It  is  also  somewhat  mica- 


314 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTUEAL  FEATURES 


ceous,  sandy  and  refractory  in  character,  burning  to  a creamy- 
white  biscuit. 

An  analysis  shows  that  there  are  present  in  this  clay  nearly 
twice  as  much  clay  as  in  the  joint-clay,  a trace  of  lime,  and 
about  one  per  cent,  each  of  iron  and  potash.  It  is  highly  re- 
fractory, and  would,  probably,  make  good  fire-brick,  etc.,  and 
differs  from  the  celebrated  German  fire-clays  only  in  a higher 
potash  percentage. 

A similar  black  clay  occurs  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county,  immediately  underlying  a bed  of  white  plastic  clay, 
on  the  place  of  Rufus  Morris,  just  west  of  Blood  river.  It 
contains  small  pyritous  concretions. 

White  pipe-clays  are  abundant  throughout  the  county, 
chiefly,  however,  on  the  east  and  west  of  the  black  j’oint- 
clay  belt. 

Beginning  on  the  north-west,  a highly  plastic  and  white 
variety  occurs  in  a branch  bottom  at  the  junction  of  the  road 
from  Mayfield  with  that  extending  south  from  Brewer’s  mill 
post-office  to  Backusbiirg  in  S.4,  T.3,  R.3E. 

The  thickness  of  the  bed  could  not  be  ascertained,  but  must 
be  several  feet.  It  is  in  places  of  a pinkish  tint;  the  upper 
eighteen  inches  is  of  a mottled  white  and  yellowish  color. 
On  burning  it  gives  a white  biscuit,  and  is  quite  refractory 
in  a high  heat.  The  sample  subjected  to  analysis  was  of  the 
purer  portions,  and  contains  a very  large  percentage  of  clay, 
a trace  only  of  iron,  three-fourths  per  cent,  of  lime,  and  less 
than  half  a per  cent,  of  alkalies. 

The  same  clay  appears  in  the  branch  south  of  this  place, 
and  also  in  the  bluffs  east  of  the  river  at  Backusburg,  where, 
however,  it  is  only  eighteen  inches  thick. 

Southward  to  the  State  line  the  country  is  high,  being  the 
water-divide  between  the  tributaries  of  the  East  and  West 
forks  of  Clark’s  river,  and,  therefore,  so  little  washed  into 
deep  ravines  as  to  afford  but  very  few  exposures  of  clays,  and 
none  of  these  are  of  importance. 

To  the  east  of  Murray,  and  of  a line  passing  through  it, 
north  and  south,  there  are  several  beds  of  white  clays,  and 
of  these  that  of  Russell’s  pottery,  six  miles  east,  is  of  the 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


31. 

most  importance,  producing,  as  it  does,  a beautiful  cream- 
colored  ware  on  glazing.  There  is,  however,  great  difficult}" 
ill  getting  it  to  take  a glaze  without  “crazing”  or  being  per- 
meated with  fine  cracks. 

The  bed  underlies  six  feet  of  brown  loam,  four  and  a half 
feet  of  sandy  clay,  one  foot  of  white  clay,  and  one  and  a half 
of  a dark  clay,  and  is  three  feet  in  thickness,  underlaid  by  a 
brownish  sandy  clay  and  yellow  micaceous  sand.  An  analysis 
shows  the  clay  to  contain  but  little  lime,  and  more  than  one 
per  cent,  each  of  iron  and  alkalies. 

Another  locality  of  white  pipe-clay  is  on  the  place  of  Mr. 
Rufus  Morris,  near  Blood  river,  east  of  New  Providence.  It 
is  exposed  in  a deep  ravine,  and  above  the  bed  of  black  clay 
mentioned  above.  It  has  a surface  covering  of  ten  feet  of 
loam  and  gravel,  and  is  interbedded  with  white  sand  in  thick 
nesses  of  from  two  to  eighteen  inches,  and  in  its  thickest  por- 
tion holds  pockets  of  fine  white  sand.  The  clay  is  refractory 
at  a high  heat,  producing  a white  biscuit,  which,  on  glazing, 
becomes  brownish-white  in  color.  It  is  stained  to  some  ex- 
tent with  yellow  ochre.  An  analysis  shows  the  presence  of  a 
little  lime,  about  two  per  cent,  of  alkalies,  and  a little  more 
tuan  one  and  a half  per  cent,  of  iron. 

Other  clays  are  found  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  but  in 
bods  so  thin  as  to  be  of  no  value. 

Iron  Ores. — In  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  county,  in  the 
legion  known  as  the  Coalings,  there  is  found  embedded  in 
the  gravel  beds,  nearly  along  the  edge  of  the  uplands  facing 
the  Tennessee  valley,  masses  of  iron  ore  in  size  varying  from 
a pound  or  so  to  as  much  as  fifty  or  seventy-five  pounds.  The 
ore  is  rather  concretionary  in  character,  sometimes  inclosing 
clay  or  gravel  and  with  bright  specular  inner  surfaces.  It  is 
irregularly  distributed  through  the  gravel  deposit,  and  re- 
quires the  expenditure  of  much  labor  and  time  in  its  exposure 
and  removal  to  the  furnace,  an  expense  apparently  not  com- 
mensurate with  the  amount  of  ore  obtained.  A furnace  was 
at  one  time  in  operation  near  one  of  the  ore  beds,  its  char- 
coal or  fuel  being  obtained  from  the  surrounding  timbers. 
It,  however,  ceased  operations  many  years  ago.  From  an- 
other bed,  a mile  or  more  north  of  the  furnace,  the  ore  has 
been  shipped  to  furnaces  in  Tennessee. 


316 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


Sands. — The  beds  of  sand  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county^ 
and  especially  those  exposed  in  the  hills  bordering  Beechy 
creek,  are  sharp-grained,  and  more  or  less  tinted  with  iron. 
The  ordinary  glass  could  be  made  of  it,  but  the  sand  is  too 
impure  for  the  liner  qualities. 

AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES. 

The  agricultural  features  of  the  county  have  the  variety 
usual  to  the  Purchase  country,  and  embrace  the  upland 
timbered  lands,  barrens  and  flatwoods,  and  the  lowland  val- 
ley of  the  Tennessee  river  and  creek  bottoms.  The  alluvial 
bottoms  and  the  cane  hills  of  the  western  counties  are  here 
absent. 

As  already  remarked,  the  surface  of  the  uplands  is  rolling 
and  in  places  more  or  less  broken,  though  not  so  much  so  as 
to  interfere  seriously  with  cultivation. 

The  so-called  timbered  uplands,  or  oak  and  hickory  lands, 
comprise  the  largest  proportion  of  the  county  area.  The  soil 
is  a brown  loam,  some  two  feet  in  depth,  overlying  a brown- 
ish clay  loam,  which  is  permeated  with  seams  of  a light  grey 
silt.  Where  well  drained,  the  soil  is  loose  and  easily  tilled, 
producing  good  crops  of  corn,  small  grain  and  tobacco.  Its 
growth  is  usually  several  varieties  of  oaks,  hickory  and  a 
scrubby  undergrowth.  Where  drainage  is  inadequate  the  soil 
becomes  compact,  whiter  in  color,  and  impervious  to  water, 
which  stands  on  it  in  pools  in  rainy  seasons.  Such  flat 
places  are  most  frequent  upon  the  dividing  ridges  between 
the  streams. 

This  is  especially  so  upon  the  divide  between  the  East  fork 
and  Blood  river  east  of  Murray,  which  reaches  north  from 
New  Providence  to  within  a few  miles  of  Shiloh  post-office. 

The  timbered  region  is  largely  under  cultivation,  the  soils 
being  well  suited  to  the  growth  of  corn,  oats  and  tobacco. 
The  analysis  of  a sample  of  soil  taken  five  miles  east  of  Mur- 
ray (as  given  in  the  general  report),  shows  a deficiency  in 
phosphoric  acid  and  lime,  and  a fair  amount  of  potash.  The 
addition  of  lime  or  gypsum  would,  doubtless,  render  avail- 
able much  of  the  one  and  one-third  per  cent,  of  potash  now 
existing  in  an  insoluble  condition.  The  deficiency  in  phos- 


OF  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


317 


plioric  acid  is  characteristic  of  nearly  all  of  the  “timbered 
uplands”  of  the  Purchase  counties. 

In  the  south-eastern  portion  of  the  county  there  is  a region 
known  as  The  Coalings,  because  of  the  cutting  away  of  its 
timber  and  its  conversion  into  charcoal  for  use  in  the  iron 
furnaces,  a number  of  years  ago,  since  which  time  it  has 
grown  uj)  in  a low  growth. 

The  original  timber  was  red,  black,  post  and  Spanish  oaks 
and  hickory.  The  area  covered  by  this  region  reaches  for 
about  two  and  a half  miles  north  from  Shannon  creek,  and 
about  three  miles  from  the  river  bluff  westward  toward  Con- 
cord. 

The  soil  (whose  analysis  is  given  in  the  general  report)  dif- 
fers from  that  of  other  uplands  in  being  deficient  in  available 
potash,  though  there  is  a fair  amount  in  the  subsoil  at  six  to 
twelve  inches  from  the  surface,  and  also  more  than  one  and  a 
lialf  per  cent,  in  an  insoluble  condition.  Very  little  of  this 
region  is  under  cultivation. 

That  portion  of  the  timbered  region  known  as  the  Flat- 
woods,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  reaching  from  the 
Tennessee  State  line  northward  nearly  to  Murray,  in  an  area 
about  three  miles  wide  and  six  long,  is  the  northern  end  of 
that  extensive  and  narrow  belt  that  reaches  southward  through 
the  State  of  Tennessee,  across  the  north-east  corner  of  Missis- 
sippi, and  thence  south-eastward  into  Alabama.  Its  surface 
is  quite  level  and  ill-drained,  covered  with  a compact  and 
whitish  soil  (apparently  a leached  brown  loam),  and  has  a 
timber  growth  of  chiefly  post  oaks. 

In  this  state  it  is  hardly  in  cultivation,  its  soil  being  not 
only  cold  and  ill-drained,  but  poor  and  deficient  in  all  of  the 
available  elements  of  plant  food.  Even  the  presence  of  half 
a per  cent,  of  lime  seems  not  to  have  had  any  affect  on  the 
proportion  of  insoluble  potash.  The  subsoil  also  is  but 
very  little  better  than  the  soil. 

The  remaining  uplands  of  the  county  are  comprised  in  the 
region  known  as  The  Barrens,  formerly  an  open  prairie,  but 
now  grown  uj)  in  a low  growth  of  red  and  black-jack  oaks. 
The  region  covers  almost  the  entire  portion  of  the  county  lying 
west  of  the  East  fork,  and  is  a part  of  that  large  central  bar- 


318 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


rens  country  that  covers  nearly  all  of  the  adjoining  county  of 
Graves.  Along  the  immediate  uplands  bordering  the  streams 
there  is,  usually,  a strip  of  land  timbered  with  other  growth. 
The  southern  limit  of  the  barrens  is  the  Purchase  water-shed, 
which  lies  in  a general  east  and  west  course  nearly  along  the 
State  line. 

A large  proportion  of  the  region  is  quite  level,  especially 
along  that  broad  divide  separating  the  tributaries  of  the  East 
and  West  forks  of  Clark’s  river,  and  reaching  from  Murray 
west  to  and  beyond  Harris  Grove,  and  also  north-westward 
to  and  beyond  Kirksey.  The  slight  rolling  nature  of  the 
surface,  however,  gives  to  it  a natural  drainage,  and  much 
of  the  land  is  under  cultivation,  largely  in  tobacco. 

An  analysis  of  a fair  sample  each  of  the  soil  and  subsoil, 
taken  from  four  miles  north-west  of  Murray,  shows  a great 
deficiency  of  available  potash  in  the  soil,  and  a large  per- 
centage in  an  insoluble  condition,  with  scarcely  any  lime. 
The  subsoil  contains  a fair  amount  of  potash  in  an  available 
condition,  and  it  is,  probably,  to  this  that  the  land  owes  its 
reputation  as  being  first-class  for  that  potash-loving  plant — 
tobacco.  Phosphoric  acid  is  deficient  in  its  percentage,  in 
both  soil  and  subsoil. 

The  lands  are  said  to  yield  as  much  as  one  thousand  pounds 
of  tobacco  per  acre. 

The  Valley  of  the  Tennessee,  bordered  on  the  west  by  the 
high  and,  in  places,  quite  precipitous  upland  bluffs,  reaches 
from  the  State  line  northward  into  Marshall  county,  with  a 
width  varying  from  but  a few  hundred  yards  at  the  former 
to  as  much  as  one  and  a half  miles  toward  the  latter  point. 

The  general  surface  of  the  valley  is  uneven,  because  of  nar- 
row strips  of  low  bottom  land  along  the  river  front,  and  low 
creeks,  swamps  or  flats  along  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  on  the 
west,  thus  leaving  an  elevated  plain  along  the  central  portion. 

At  the  State  line  limestone  outcrops  high  up  in  the  bluffs, 
from  whose  foot  to  the  river  the  laud  is  fiat,  rather  of  a bot- 
tom character,  but  all  under  cultivation.  Going  northward, 
we  find  the  limestone  only  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  and  the 
general  surface  features  as  Just  described  begin. 


OK  CALLOWAY  COUNTY. 


319 


There  are  then  three  soil  divisions  witliin  the  valley,  viz.  ; 
the  river  bottom,  the  flats  and  creek  bottoms,  and  the  valley 
proper. 

The  former  or  rlter  bottoms  are  narrow  and  of  no  special 
importance,  occurring  only  at  different  points,  and  scarcely 
affording  sufficient  areas  for  cultivation,  except  on  the  south, 
as  already  mentioned.  The  timber  of  the  first  or  lower  bot- 
tom is  hickory,  white,  water  and  red  oaks,  poplar,  gum,  linn, 
box  elder,  some  ash,  sycamore  and  black  walnut. 

The  soil,  alluvial  in  character,  is  said  to  produce  as  much 
as  ten  barrels  of  corn  per  acre.  It  is  subject  to  overflow. 

A kind  of  second  bottom  here  has  a timber  growth  of  white 
and  red  oaks,  poplar,  black  locust  and  hickory.  Its  soil  is 
more  clayey,  and  will  produce  about  eight  barrels  of  corn,  one 
thousand  pounds  of  tobacco,  or  fifteen  to  twenty  bushels  of 
wheat  per  acre.  Both  bottoms  are  excellent  for  clover  and 
grasses. 

In  this  portion  of  the  valley  the  ridge  that  forms  the  central 
feature  is  said  by  Mr.  Ed.  Brown  to  be  especially  adapted  to 
the  production  of  a very  fine  grade  of  the  bright  tobacco. 
This  land,  beginning  about  one  mile  from  the  State  line, 
reaches  a distance  of  four  miles,  and  is  all  under  cultivation. 
Its  soil  is  a.  dark  loam,  underlaid  by  a red  or  yellow  clay  sub- 
soil at  about  six  inches,  and  has  a timber  growth  of  red  and 
white  oaks,  poplar  and  some  gum,  chestnut  and  black  locust. 

Northward,  toward  the  Marshall  county  line,  the  ridge  is 
very  generally  under  cultivation.  The  soil  is  a light-brown 
micaceous  loam,  originally  having  a growth  of  red  and  post 
oaks,  hickory  and  sassafras. 

Analyses  made  of  the  above  two  characters  of  central  val- 
ley lands  shows  quite  a difference  in  the  respective  percentage 
composition  ; that  of  the  valley  generally  having  but  a trace 
of  lime,  a low  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  and  of  potash, 
that  of  the  southern  and  richer  portion  having  much  more 
lime,  a low  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  a fair  amount 
of  potash  except  in  the  subsoil,  which  is  very  rich  in  the  lat- 
ter element.  There  is  also  more  iron  in  the  subsoil. 

The  flats  that  border  the  creeks  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
the  valley  have  a surface  soil  very  rich  in  decayed  vegetation, 


320 


GEOLOGICAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  FEATURES 


but  at  a few  inches  are  underlaid  by  a stiff  and  yellowish- 
white  crawtishy  subsoil,  impervious  to  water  and  cold  in  char- 
acter, The  growth  of  Shannon  creek  is  white  and  red  oaks, 
poplar,  gurn,  hazel,  hickory,  and  some  walnut.  An  analysis 
of  the  soil  shows  a little  lime,  a good  percentage  of  phos- 
phoric acid,  while  that  of  the  potash  in  the  soil  is  fair,  and 
in  the  subsoil  quite  large.  These  flats  are  but  little  under 
cultivation. 

The  hottom  lands  of  Clark's  river  lie  chiefly  on  the  west 
side  of  that  stream,  varying  in  width  from  but  half  a mile  or 
less  south  of  Murray,  to  as  much  as  a mile  on  the  north. 

They  are  subject  to  overflow,  and,  therefore,  are  under  cul- 
ture to  but  a small  extent,  except  near  the  borders  of  the 
upland,  whose  washings  have  given  the  bottom  a slightly 
higher  elevation. 

The  soil  is  for  the  most  part  stiff  and  crawflshy  in  nature, 
its  surface  more  or  less  permeated  with  decayed  vegetation. 
The  timber  growth  comprises  white  and  Spanish  oaks,  poplar, 
hickory,  sweet  and  black  gums,  walnut,  dogwood,  sassafras 
and  papaw. 

An  analysis  of  a specimen  taken  near  Murray  shows  a fair 
amount  of  available  potash,  and  a deflciency  in  lime  and  phos- 
phoric acid. 

The  absence  of  drainage  also  makes  these  lands  unfit  for 
any  other  crop  than  corn  or  grasses. 

The  bottom  lands  of  Blood  river  and  other  streams  are  usu- 
ally narrow,  and  their  soils  cold  or  crawflshy,  and  but  little 
under  tillage. 


A.iF’iPiEnsrzDix  III 


TO  GENERAL  REPORT. 


THE  PADUCAH  WELL,  BOKED  TO  A DEPTH  OF  1,250  FEET,  SHOWS 
AN  IMMENSE  FAULTING  OF  PALEOZOIC  ROCKS. 

Just  as  the  last  pages  of  the  Calloway  County  Report  were 
being  put  in  type,  I received  samples  of  material,  taken  at 
various  depths,  from  the  well  recently  bored  in  Paducah  for 
gas.  These  have  been  closely  examined,  and  the  results  are 
herewith  briefly  presented.  The  samples  were  taken  by  J. 
C.  Farley,  Esq.,  and  forwarded  to  me  by  W.  L.  Brad- 
shaw, Esq.,  of  Paducah. 

The  well  penetrated  to  a depth  of  1,250  feet,  and  was 
abandoned  because  of  the  difficulties  attending  the  work, 
such  as  the  occurrence  of  caverns,  cracks  causing  deflec- 
tions of  the  auger,  and  especially  the  volumes  of  water 
entering  the  pipe.  Streams  of  water  were  passed  througli 
down  to  a depth  of  600  feet,  or  to  the  bed  of  calcareous 
shale;  but  beyond  that  the  water  came  in  volumes  through 
the  cracks  and  seams  of  the  limestone ; and  altogether,  the 
manager  or  contractor  asserts  that  he  had  to  contend  with 
greater  difficulties  than  in  any  of  the  many  wells  that  he 
had  previously  bored  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  boring  of  this  well  is  extremely  fortuitous,  though  not 
realizing  the  hopes  of  the  projectors.  It  has  revealed  the 
depth  of  the  Paleozoic  rocks  below  the  Quaternary  surface 
of  this  portiou  of  the  gulf  embayment,  and  the  nature  and 
thicknesses  of  the  several  formations  that  filled  this  basin ; 
but,  above  all,  bored  in  such  close  proximity  to  the  Paleo- 
zoic shore  line,  or  “shelf,”  as  it  is  called  in  the  report,  it 
has  indicated  clearly,  and  almost  beyond  doubt,  that  this 
portion,  at  least,  of  the  embayment  is  the  result  of  the  im- 

QEOL.  SUE. — 21. 


322 


APPENDIX 


mense  faulting  of  the  Paleozoic  rocks,  that  portion  south 
of  the  Ohio  river  sinking  to  a depth  of  more  than  1,300  feet. 
That  this  occurred  during  the  Chester  or  upper  Subcarbon- 
il'erous  jieriod  is  indicated  by  the  presence  of  its.-beds  at  the 
depth  of  264  feet  below  Paducah.  The  blue  limestones  that 
underlie  these  at  735  feet  from  the  surface  are  unmistakably 
of  the  Mountain  Limestone  (Tenn.  series),  as  shown  by  a 
characteristic  pentremites  Godonii  brought  up  by  the  auger 
from  the  upper  portion  of  the  limestone. 

The  accompanying  illustration  is  intended  to  represent  the 
rock  strata  passed  through,  and  also  the  faulting  of  the  strata, 
with  an  ideal  section  of  the  formations  on  either  side.  The 
Illinois  section  is  taken  from  Dana’s  Geology,  the  State  Re- 
port not  being,  at  my  command. 

The  following  section  gives  the  character  of  the  material 
brought  up  by  the  auger: 


Character  of  Material. 


1.  Micaceous  brownish  surface  loam 

2.  Kouiuled  chert  and  quartz  gravel 

3.  Fine  micaceous  sand  and  clay,  interlaminated  . 

4.  Debris  of  white  and  dark  chert,  hyaline  sand, 

pyrites,  and  smoky  quartz  crystals.  The 
lower  18  feet  is  cemented  by  a bright  red 
iron  ochre,  and  holds  numerous  crinoids, 
bryozoa,  and  plates  and  spines  of  the  Echin- 
oid  Archfzocidaris 

5.  White,  porous,  and  slightly  calcareous  rock; 

also  containing  many  crinoids,  bryozoa,  and 
ecbinoids 

6.  Dark  impure  limestone,  with  some  crinoids 

and  bryozoa,  fragments  of  cemented  calca- 
reous material,  and  a small  flat  mass  of 
quartz  crystals  ; the  rock  is  cavernous  .... 

7.  Limestone  and  siliceous  rock,  dark  and  light 

colored ; some  calc  spar,  crinoids ; cyathophy- 
loid  corals  and  pyrites  in  lower  portion  ; rock 
is  cavernous 

8.  Dark  calcareous  shale,  blue  marl  and  sand, 

with  small  crinoids,  spines  and  plates  of 
Archneocidaris  and  cyathophyloid  corals  . . 

9.  White  calcareous  shale,  with  calc  spar,  pyrites, 

and  a few  crinoids 

10.  Blue  Limestone,  with  crinoids;  a pentremite 

brought  up  from  upper  portion 

11.  Blue  Limestone,  with  crinoids.  The  bed,  with 

^the  lower  portion  of  that  above,  is  permeated 
with  cracks,  filled  with  sand,  etc.,  to  bottom 
of  boring 


Feet. 

40 

20 

GO 

204 

2G4 

71 

335 

90 

425 

45 

470 

48 

518 

32 

550 

185 

735 

400 

1,135 

115 

1 ,250 

Geologic  For- 
mation. 


I Quaternary. 
[•Cretaceous. 


1 c 


►a 

w 

p) 

w 

O 

u 

o 

p- 

55 

W 

O 

2 

5 

w 

55 

O 

C3 


GO 

h 


N 


S 


/LL/NO/S 


324 


APPENDIX 


The  city  of  Paducah  is  situated  on  the' banks  of  the  river, 
in  the  Ohio  valley  — an  almost  level  plain,  whose  surface 
material,  to  a depth  of  40  feet,  is  a brown  micaceous  loam, 
of  supposed  Port  Hudson  age.  It  overlies  about  20  feet  of 
Quaternary  gravel,  which,  in  turn,  is  underlaid  by  the  Creta- 
ceous sands  and  thinly  laminated  black  clays,  having  a thick- 
ness of  204  feet,  as  shown  by  the  boring. 

The  hills  or  uplands  bordering  this  plain  on  the  south  are 
made  up  of  from  30  to  AO  feet  of  brown  loam  and  20  feet  of 
gravel,  while  at  their  foot  Tertiary  black  clays  are  exposed 
for  as  much  as  30  feet. 

On  the  Illinois  side,  the  Port  Hudson  clays  are  wanting, 
the  hills  beyond  the  bottom  land  rising  to  the  same  eleva- 
tion as  on  the  south  of  Paducah,  and,  so  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, are  composed  of  the  same  material,  the  Tertiary  clays 
appearing  in  the  beds  of  the  streams.  The  latter  formation 
is,  however,  thinly  represented,  for  below  it,  in  many  places, 
are  exposed,  in  the  streams,  the  limestones  of  the  Subcar- 
boniferous,  forming  the  so-called  “Paleozoic  shelf”  that  ex- 
tends south  to  within  a few  miles  of  Paducah. 

It  is  the  edge  of  this  shelf  that  seems  to  mark  the  line  of 
the  fault,  and  is  as  follows;  From  the  Big  Chain  of  the 
Tennessee  river,  a mile  below  Haddock’s  ferry  in  north  Mar- 
shall county,  it  reaches  north-westward,  a few  miles  north  of 
Paducah,  to  the  Grand  Chain  of  the  Ohio,  or  extreme  north- 
ern part  of  Ballard  county,  where  its  limestones,  intercalated 
with  flint,  are  well  exposed  at  low-water  mark  for  some  dis- 
tance along  the  Illinois  side  of  river;  thence  westward,  it 
passes  about  8 miles  north  of  Cairo  into  Missouri.  The  width 
of  the  shelf,  north  of  Paducah,  is  from  6 to  10  miles.  South 
from  this  shelf,  which  may  also  be  termed  the  Cretaceous 
shore-line,  no  limestone  outcrops  appear,  nor  had  the  rock 
been  reached  in  the  deepest  borings  in  the  Purchase  counties 
previous  to  this  at  Paducah. 

Going  still  northward  in  Illinois,  we  rise  from  the  limit  of 
the  Tertiary  and  Quaternary  beds  of  the  basin ‘to  the  summit 
of  the  Upper  Subcarboniferous  formation,  at  an  elevation  of 
probably  200  feet  above.  Paducah. 

It  would  seem,  then,  that  since  the  faulting  and  sinking  of 


TO  (;KNEUAL  UK  pout. 


325 


the  rocks,  the  basin  has  filled  up  to  a depth  of  204  feet  with 
Cretaceous  beds  (the  oldest  of  the  geologic  series  of  the  basin 
both  here  and  in  States  south),  to  the  upper  edge  of  the  so- 
called  Paleozoic  shelf,  and  that  the  Tertiary  and  Quaternary 
beds  were  deposited  over  this  formation  and  ui)on  the  shelf 
to  the  Paleozoic  hills  on  the  west,  north  and  east,  leaving 
still  a high  bordering  rim  of  the  latter. 

The  deposit  in  the  region  of  Paducah  is  shown  by  the  bor- 
ing to  have  an  entire  thickness  of  about  365  feet,  from  the 
bottom  of  the  basin  to  the  summit  of  the  neighboring  uplands. 

The  only  rock  masses  referable  to  formations  older  than 
the  Cretaceous  are  those  quartzites  occurring  almost  in  a 
direct  course  from  Palestine  Church,  8 miles  northwest  of 
Paducah,  south-eastward  via  Byers’  place,  5 miles  south  of 
Paducah,  to  Murray,  in  Calloway  county. 

The  character  of  this  rock,  and  the  general  course  of  the 
line  of  its  outcrop,  led  to  the  conclusion  that  it  belonged  to 
the  Onandaga  beds  of  Illinois,  and  it  is  so  treated  of  in  the 
report ; but  from  the  revelations  made  by  the  boring,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  these  quartzites  are  in  reality  the 
remnants  of  Chester  sandstones,  though  highly  quartzose  in 
character. 

The  mass  of  loose  material,  71  feet  in  depth,  lying  immedi- 
ately below  the  Cretaceous  (in  the  boring),  and  forming  the 
bottom  of  the  embayment  basin  previous  to  the  deposition  of 
sand,  etc.,  was,  doubtless,  originally  a part  of  the  more  solid 
underlying  rock,  as  the  character  and  fossils  of  both  are  simi- 
lar ; this  portion,  probably,  being  broken  up  by  the  violence 
of  the  waves  along  this  shore-line,  while  at  the  same  time  it 
received  accessions  from  the  washings  of  the  bordering  high- 
lands. 

The  fossils  brought  up  by  the  auger  from  the  series  of  strata 
as  far  down  as  the  blue  Pentremital  limestone,  embrace  crinoid 
stems,  bryozoa,  cyathophylloid  corals,  the  plates  and  spines 
of  ArchcBocidaris  Norwood^  and  of  many  undetermined  ellipti- 
cal crinoid  stems.  These  beds  are,  in  the  aggregate,  471  feet 
thick,  and  their  position  above  the  Pentremital  limestones,  as 
well  as  the  nature  of  their  fossils,  clearly  indicates  for  them 
an  Upper  Chester  age;  marl  beds  characteristic  of  the  forma- 
tion were  also  present. 


326 


APPENDIX 


r 


Below  these  strata,  the  auger  penetrated  515  feet  of  blue 
limestone,  in  the  ui)per  part  of  which  was  obtained  the  Pen- 
tremites  Godonii  of  the  Mountain  Limestone  division  already 
alluded  to.  The  upper  290  feet  is  said  to  be  “cavernous,” 
while  the  remaining  lower  portion  is  “permeated  with  cracks 
which  are  filled  with  sand,  etc.,  causing  much  trouble  by  de- 
flecting the  auger.” 

In  Tennessee,  near  the  Kentucky  line,  the  Mountain  Lime- 
stone has  a thickness  of  about  400  feet,  and  assuming  this 
as  correct  for  this  locality,  it  would  appear  that  the  lower  115 
feet  of  the  boring  was  in  the  St.  Louis  limestone.  This  latter 
division  is  not  made  to  appear  in  the  above  ideal  sketch. 

Depth  of  the  Faulting. — Taking  the  Mountain  Limestone  as 
a basis  in  determining  the  depth  to  which  the  rock  strata  on 
the  south  side  of  the  fault  have  sunk  from  their  original  posi- 
tion, we  have  the  following  data : The  limestone  stratum  in 
original  position,  at  the  level  of  Paducah  on  the  Illinois  side, 
is  about  35  feet  above  the  upper  part  of  the  Keokuk,  as  ex- 
posed at  the  Grand  Chain  of  the  Ohio ; and  the  latter  is  700 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  Mountain  Limestone  in  the  bor- 
ing. From  the  Keokuk  beds  up  through  the  overlying  St. 
Louis  and  Mountain  Limestone  divisions  there  are  about  650 
feet,  making  in  all  1,350  feet  as  the  depth  of  the  faulting. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Adams’  Cut,  lignitic  bed  near 236 

Agricultural  features  of  Ballard  county 243 

Calloway  county 316 

Fulton  county 210 

Graves  county 297 

Hickman  county 227 

McCracken  county 260 

Marshall  county 280 

the  Purchase 139,  173 

Agricultural  regions  enumerated . 140 

Alabama,  cretaceous  belt  of 32 

Alexander,  Mrs.,  iron  ores  on  place  of 124,  197 

well  showing  lignitic  clay - 135 

Alluvial  formation,  general  description 82 

lands,  description  and  analyses 141,  145 

of  the  Mississippi 212,  229  231,  243 

of  the  Ohio 141,  143 

of  the  Tennessee 143 

timber  growth  of 142 

region  of  the  Mississippi 82 

Altitudes  of  lowlands  and  uplands 9.  10 

Analyses,  comparative  of  Kentucky  and  German  clays 112 

of  alluvial  river  soils 145 

Barrens  soils 165 

black  clays  of  Calloway  county .110 

bottom  soils  of  East  and  West  forks  of  (lark’s  river 148 

chalybeate  water 138,  214 

clay  from  counties  of  the  Purchase  100,  107 

Panther  creek 107 

Pittman’s  bank 107 

Eussell’s  pottery 107 

clay  slip.  91 

crawfishy  lands  of  river  bottoms  and  valleys 148,  151 

fire-clays 102 

Flatwoods  soils 162 

German  clays 112 

glauconitic  clay 129 

•iron  ores 124 


328 


INDEX. 


Analyses  of  Kaolinite  . . . . r HO 

lignite 122,  293 

Loess  or  grey  silt 

oak  and  hickory  upland  soils 168 

ochreous  clay II7 

red  oak  Barrens  land 165 

refractory  clays 97 

river  bottom  lands I45 

sands 130 

sandstones  of  Hickman  Bluffs 40 

siliceous  or  polishing  earths 133 

unrefractory  clays  116 

upland  soils  of  Ballard  county 171 

Calloway  county 171 

Fulton  county 170 

^ McCracken  county 170 

valley  lands  of  Clark’s,  Ohio  and  Tennessee  rivers 155 

water  of  Bluff,  Kilgore,  Mahon  and  McGee  springs 138 

well  in  Paducah 135 

white  fire-clays .107 

Antiquities,  chapter  on I73 

of  Ballard  county 180 

Calloway  county  195 

Fulton  county 173 

Graves  county  . 195 

Hickman  county 178- 

Marshall  county 192 

McCracken  county 191 

Archseocidaris  Norwood!  in  Paducah  well 322 

Armstrong,  clay  from  place  of 115,  116,  118,  257,  278 

Area  covered  by  drift 67 

of  Ballard  county 230 

Bayou  de  Chien  basin 15 

Calloway  county 301 

Clark’s  river  basin 14 

Fulton  county 201 

Graves  county 285 

Hickman  county 217 

•Marshall  county 265 

McCracken  county 247 

Mayfield  creek  basin 14 

Mississippi  drainage  basin 14 

Ohio  drainage  basin 14 

Obion  creek  basin 15 

Ohio  river  valley 245 

Tennessee  river  basin 13- 

the  Cane  Hills  region 157 


INDEX. 


■629 


Area  of  the  flatwooils  of  Calloway  county 160 

Marshall  county 282 

Areas  of  drainage.  ...  1.3 

Arkansas,  Port  Hudson  bods  of 73 

Arlington,  sandstone  near 238 

Arnett’s  place,  tloscript ion  and  analyses  of  clays  from 104,  107 

Articles  manufactured  from  clays 85 

B. 

Back-lands  of  the  Mississippi  bottom 142 

Backusburg,  bluff  of 103,  308 

clays  near 103,  314 

elevation  of 302 

mounds  near 195 

Back-water  from  Mississippi  river  overflow 9,  10 

Ballard  county,  agricultural  features  of ■.  .243 

alluvial  lands  of 243 

analyses  of  soils  and  claj'S 100,  107,  171 

antiquities  of 180 

Barrens  lands 246 

bluff  lands  of 159 

bottom  lands  of  - 142 

Oane  Hills 246 

clay,  comparison  with  German  clay ....  112 

clay  from 105,  106,  107,  241 

crops  of 247 

description  of 230 

economic  materials  of • 240 

elevations  of 232 

fossil  leaves  from 198 

geological  features  of 232 

lands  of  Mayfield  creek 148 

lignite  of 121 

oak  and  hickory  soils  of 168 

ochreous  clays  of 117 

sands  and  sand  ridges  of 131,  244 

ujdand  barrens  of 163,  165 

alley  lands  of 155 

wells  and  water  of 55,  1.36,  137 

Baltimore,  gravel  conglomerate  of 62,  290,  292 

Bandana,  analysis  of  lands  from 155. 

Bai’ber’s  Landing,  sandstone  of 27 

Avells  of 277 

Barlow,  analysis  of  soil  from 168 

elevation  of 232 

Barnum,  Dr.,  analysis  of  water  by 135 

Barrens  region  of  Ballard  county  . • 246. 


330 


INDEX. 


Barrens  region  of  Calloway  county 

of  Graves  county 

of  Marshall  county 

of  the  Purchase,  description  of 163, 

soil  and  timber 246, 

Bayou  de  Cliien  and  Obion,  former  union  of 

bottom  lands  of 10,  147,  213, 

drainage  basin  of 

Indian  mounds  of 

Bee  creek,  bluff  of 


Bell  City,  description  and  analyses  of  clays  from 57,  104,  107, 

Benton,  gypsum  and  clays  near 128, 


section  of  well 

Big  Chain  of  Tennessee  river 

Big  Cut,  south  of  Wingo 

Birmingham,  bluffs  opposite : 

bluisli  clays  of 76,  276, 

timber  growth  of 

Black  clay  at  Caledonia 

or  soapstone,  description  of 110, 

clays  near  Milburn 

fire-clays  of  Calloway  county 

Black  jack  oak  Barrens 

Blandville,  analyses  of  upland  soils  from 


description  and  analyses  of  clays  from 105,  107, 

gravel  bed  of 

lignite  near 48,  105,  121,  235 

Blood  river  bottom  lands 

Blue  clays  in  wells  near  Sassafras  ridge 

of  Cretaceous  

Port  Hudson  group 73, 

Blue  micaceous  clay  from  Highland - 115, 

Paducah 115, 

Blnflf  at  Backusburg 

Caledonia 

Columbus 46, 

Fort  Hindman 

Hickman,  section  of 38,  98, 

Reelfoot  lake 

Wickliffe,  section  of 

Blufi  lignite,  division  of  the  Tertiary 37, 

of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio,  ancient  mounds  of 

or  Cane  Hills  region 157,  160,  209,  225,  228,  229, 

Bluff  spring,  analysis  of 

Bluffs  of  Bee  creek,  showing  strata 

Clark’s  river 

Loess  formation 


317 

298 

282 

167 

261 

15 

230 

15 

176 

307 

296 

277 

272 

268 

292 

20 

280 

144 

253 

249 

48 

108 

165 

168 

241 

238 

241 

320 

137 

250 

255 

116 

116 

308 

46 

100 

303 

205 

39 

48 

41 

173 

246 

307 

307 

263 

77 


INDEX. 


831 


Blufls  of  the  Mississijipi,  erosion  of 

Boaz,  clay  and  fossil  loaves  from 114,  lltt,  198, 

section  of  railroad  cut  near 

Bo^  ore  gravel 246, 


Border  region  of  the  Purchase  . 

Bored  well  of  Paducah 

Bottom  lands  of  Bayou  de  Cliien 
Blood  river  . . 
Clanton  creek  . 


Clark’s  river 147,  300, 

Mayfield  creek 147,  244, 

Pryor’s  creek 

Shannon  creek 

the  Mississippi 142,  212,  229, 

Ohio 141,  143, 

Tennessee 143 , 

tVest  Fork  of  Mayfield  creek 

Boydsville,  gravel  beds  of 

Bradshaw,  Albert,  soil  and  well  of 155, 

W.  F.,  assistance  received  from 

Brandon’s  mill,  decomposed  chert  of 

siliceous  earth  of 

Brewer’s  old  mill,  clays  near 


Brick,  common,  front  building,  pressed  and  fire,  manufacture  of 86, 


Briensburg,  clay  near 

elevation  of 

wells  of 

Brown  coal,  analysis  of 

region  of 119, 

Brown  loam,  description  of 57, 


formation,  general  description 

of  Ballard  county 

Calloway  county 

Fulton  county 

Graves  county 

Hickman  county 224, 

McCracken  county 

Marshall  county 

permeated  by  silt  seams 


upper  and  lower  beds 

Brown,  W.  E.,  lands  of 145, 

limestone  on  place  of 31 , 

Bryant,  C.  W.,  relic  from 

Bryant,  Mr.,  sandstone  on  place  of 

Buckshot  soils 

Building  material  made  of  clay 


Burradel,  F.  N.,  clay  on  place  of 57,  106,  107,  275, 

Burns,  Mrs.  R.,  sandstone  with  footprints  on  place  of 

Byers,  Mr.,  sand- rocks  on  place  of 24,  248, 


12 

294 

67 

282 

18 

320 

147 

320 

244 

320 

300 

301 

150 

244 

243 

319 

245 

289 

253 

321 

132 

27 

277 

, 87 

275 

265 

135 

122 

240 

, 80 

17 

240 

311 

210 

275 

228 

255 

275 

81 

81 

319 

303 

176 

249 

142 

85 

278 

187 

325 


332 


INDEX. 


C. 

Calciferous  formation 

Caledonia  bluffs  

Caledonia,  greensand  in  bluffs  of 

Calloway  county,  agricultural  features  of 

analyses  of  clay  from 

analyses  of  silicious  earths  of  . . . 

analysis  of  soil  from 

antiquities  of 

Barrens  of 

black  clays  of 

clays  of 

clays,  comparison  with  German  clay 

Coalings  of 

description  of  

economic  features  

flatwoods  region  of 

geology  of 

iron  ores  of 

ochreous  clay  of 

polishing  material  of 

river  valley  lands 

sands  of 

timbered  lands  of 

wells  of 

Calvert  City,  wells  and  limestone  of 

Campbell,  T.  D.,  clay  from  farm  of 

Cane  creek,  description  and  analysis  of  clay  from.  . . 

Cane  Hills  of  Ballard  county 

of  P’ulton  county 

of  Hickman  county 

of  the  Mississippi  bluffs 

timber  growth  of 

Carboniferous  formation 

Carlisle  county 

Carter’s  mill,  elevation  of 

Cayce  station,  wells  of 

C.  C.  ware,  description  of 

Cement  gravel,  uses  of 

Chains  of  the  Tennessee  river 

Chalk  Banks,  clays  of 

description  of 

Indian  mounds  on 

fossil  fruit  from 

Chalybeate  springs,  occurrence  of 

Chalybeate  water  in  well  at  Paducah 

Character  of  the  Purchase  clays 


18 

45,  233 

129,  2.53 

310 

102,  107 

133 

. 145,  148,  151,  101,  109 

195 

165 

108,  no 

312 

112 

160 

301 

312 

160,  161 

302 

123,  314 

118 

132 

151 

129,  316 

169 

134 

135,  268 

105,  107 

105,  1C7 

216 

210 

223,  228 

156,  157,  160 

1.58,  246 

31 

5 

286 

208 

94 

66 

268 

100,  219,  225 

53,  54 

178 

198 

137,  214 

135 

96 


INDEX. 


33:^ 


Chert  debris  on  Tennessee  river  hills 

Chert,  decomposed  siliceous 

Chester  beds  of  Paducah  bored  well 

Chester  sandstone 

Chestnut  creek,  mounds  near  mouth  of 

Chickasaw  Rliifl’,  sandstone  and  concretions  from  . . 

China-ware,  description  of 

rcqnirements  for 

Cincinnati  rocks  of  Illinois 

Cisterns  in  use 

Claiborne  division  of  Tertiary 

Clanton  creek 

Clark’s  river,  bottom  lands  of 

drainage  basin 

drainage  basin  of  East  and  West  Forks 

mounds  on  bluffs  of 

Tertiary  strata  of 

valley,  altitude  of 

description  of 

land,  analysis  of 

Port  Hudson  beds  of 

Clays,  analyses  of 

articles  manufactured  from 

bluff  of  Missouri 

comparative  analyses  of 

derived  from 

descriptions,  classes  and  uses  of 

from  Armstrong’s  place 

Arnett’s,  on  Panther  creek 

Backusburg 

Bell  City 

Benton 

Birmingham  ' 

Burradell’s  place 

Cypress  creek  P.  O 

Dr.  Eoof’s  place 

five  miles  south  of  Blandville 

Fort  Jefferson 

Geo.  Ryan’s  place 

Highland  

i Howard’s  pottery 

Hough’s  (W.  J.)  place 

Mahan’s 

Moore’s  mill 

Mrs.  Annie  Grief’s 

Mrs.  Houser’s  place 

Munier’s  place 


30:i 

. ...  27,  29,  30,  132 

322 

20,  27 

192 

40,  21G 

94 

89 

18 

135,  13G 

37 

14,  244 

147,  300,  320 

13 

14 

192 

287 

9 

G4,  153,  247,  284,  300 

. 155 

7G 

101 

85 

39 

112 

84 

. ...  84,  85,  9G,  97 

257,  278 

104,  107 

103 

104,  107,  29G 

277 

76 

. . 108,  107,  275,  278 

278 

258 

105,  107 

104,  107 

106,  107 

115,  116,  279 

104,  107 

258 

109,  314 

105,  107 

258 

296 

106,  107,  257 


334 


INDEX. 


Clays  from  near  Blandville ■ 105, 

near  Laketon 105, 

Paducah 115,  116, 

Pittman’s  bank,  near  Lynnville 104,  107, 

Pugh’s  place  . . 106,  107,  275, 

Rufus  Morris’  place 102,  107,  108,  110,  314, 

Russell’s  pottery 103,  107, 

Scale 275, 

Sharp  

three  miles  east  of  Blandville 106, 

Wickliffe 104, 

Wyatt’s  school-house  103,  107,  112, 

German  glass  pot 110, 


glauconitic  occurrence  of 

method  of  manufacture  of  ware  of 

near  Lewisburg 

near  Lovelaceville 

near  Pryorsburg 


ochreous  yellow 43, 

of  Ballard  county 

Calloway  county 102,  107, 

Chalk  Banks 100, 

Clark’s  river  bluffs 

Columbus  bluffs 100, 

Fulton  county 39,  98,  100, 

Graves  county 104,  107,  114,  116, 

Hickman  bluffs 98,  100, 

Hickman  county 100, 

Marshall  county 114,  116, 

McCracken  county 114,  116, 

Panther  creek 

the  Cretaceous 32,  108,  270, 

Hickman  group 39,  98,  100, 

Lagrange 52,  254,  289, 

Lignitic 41,  126, 

Port  Hudson 108, 

Tertiary , 272,  251, 

Quaternary 273, 

* on  Cane  creek  105, 

potteries  established 

refractory,  description  of 97,  100, 

remarks  of  Dr.  Langenbeck  regarding 97,  103, 

slip  for  glazing,  composition  of 

unrefractory,  description  of . 

Claystone,  bed  and  leaves  of 

of  Ballard  county  ....  

Fulton  county 


107 

107 

257 

295 

278 

315 

314 

279 

277 

107 

107 

308 

112 

129 

86 

258 

258 

295 

116 

241 

312 

225 

44 

225 

214 

294 

214 

225 

277 

256 

295 

305 

214 

.308 

108 

255 

307 

275 

107 

96 

108 

104 

91 

112 

50 

215 

215 


INDEX. 


335 


Claystone  of  Ilickmnn  bhifTs  . . . 

Tortiiiry 

Clear  creek  limestone,  of  Illinois  . . 
Clear  lake  ridge,  analysis  of  soil  of  . 
Hear  Spring  P.  ().,  gravel  beds  of  • . 

Clinton,  sandstone  near 

wells  of 

Clover,  Ja]>an,  occurrence  of  ...  . 
Cbal,  brown  or  lignite,  analyses  of . . 

region  of . . . 
Coalings,  analysis  of  upland  soil  of  . 

iron  ores  of 

character  of 

Coldwatcr,  clays  near 

Columbus  Rlufis 

clays,  fossil  leaves  of  . . 
clays  of  ......... 

injury  to  by  the  river  . . 
Lagrange  clays  of  ...  . 
Loe.ss  or  silt  in  bluffs  of 
Port  Hudson  beds  of  . . 

sands  of 

section  of  bluff  at  . . . 
Combs,  Nick,  spring  on  j)lace  of  . . 
Composition  (see  Analysis). 

Concord,  ferruginous  sandstone  of  . 

Conglomerate  of  gravel 

Cotton,  cultivation  of 

Counties,  descriptions  of 

County  of  Ballard,  description  of  . . 

Calloway,  description  of  • 
Carlisle,  reference  to  . . . 
Fulton,  description  of  . . 
Graves,  description  of  . . 
Hickman,  description  of  • 
Marshall,  description  of  . 
McCracken,  description  of 
Counties  of  the  Purchase,  history  of 
Cox,  Mr.,  iron  ores  on  place  of  . . . 

Crawiishy  bottom  lands 

lands  of  the  Barrens  . . . 

Flatvvoods  . . 

Cretaceous  formation 

clays  of  ' . . . 
sands  of  . . . 
thickness  of 
wells  of  ... 


98 

38 

21 

....  144,  145 

290 

238 

221 

140 

.122 

119 

169 

123,  314 

317 

308 

46,  227 

100 

100,  102,  112,  225 

82 

53 


. . 73 

54,  131 
46,  218 
. . 137 


309 

57,  61,  273,  292,  310 
. 140,  212,  229,  300 

199 

230 

301 

5 

201 

, 285 

217 

265 

247 


125,  280 

. . 77,  146 

164 

160 

32,  250,  270,  287,  305,  324 

32,  33,  108 

33,  129 

325 

134 


336 


INDEX. 


Cromwell,  Q.  A.,  lignite  on  place  ot  . . 

Crops  ot  the  Purchase 

Crowley’s  ridge 

Cuba,  elevation  of 

wells  of 

Cypress  creek,  drainage  basin  of  . . . . 

lands  and  timber  of  . . . 
post-office,  clay  near  . . . 
section  and  limestone  . . 
Cypress  knees  in  Port  Hudson  formation 
Crystals  of  quartz 


288 

212,  229,  247,  281,  299,  316 

12 

286 

136 

13 

285 

278 

35,  303 

73,  225 

60 


D. 

Decoration  of  pottery 

Deposition  of  the  gravel 

Description  of  Ballard  county 

Calloway  county 

Fulton  county 

Graves  county  

« 

Hickman  county 

McCracken  county  .... 

Marshall  county 

the  lands  of  the  Purchase  . 
Devonian  formation,  description  of  ...  . 
Drainage,  basin  of  Bayou  de  Chien  . . . 

Clark’s  river 

Cypress  creek 

Mayfield  creek  .... 
Mississippi  river  . . . 

Obion  creek 

Ohio  river 

Tennessee  river  .... 
Drainage,  streams  and  basins,  areas,  etc  . . 
Drain  pipes,  method  of  manufacture  . . . 

Drift,  character  and  area  of 

Dublin,  elevation  of 

gravel  beds  of 


E. 

Earthenware,  methods  of  manufacture  of  . 

requirements  for 

Earth,  siliceous 

Earthworks,  near  Hickman 

Wickliffe 

of  Ballard  county  

Calloway  county  . . i . . 
Fulton  county 


. ...  95 
....  67 
....  230 
. . . . .301 
....  201 
....  285 
. ...  217 
. ...  247 
....  265 
. ...  139 
. ...  22 
. ...  15 
. . 13,  266 
. ...  13 
. ...  14 
. ...  14 
. ...  15 
. ...  14 
. ...  13 
. ...  13 
. ...  96 
63,  65,  67 
. ...  286 
. . . . 29C 


91 

89 

. 27,  29,  30,  56,  269 

174 

184 

180 

195 

174 


INDKX. 


337 


Earthworks  of  Graves  county 195 

Hickman  county 179 

McCracken  county 191 

Marshall  county . 192 

on  Chalk  bluffs 179 

* Punckney  Bend  road 181 

Sandy  creek 180 

East  Fork  of  Clark’s  river  and  lands  of 14,  148,  154 

Economic  features  of  Ballard  county 240 

Calloway  county 312 

Fulton  county 213 

Graves  county 293 

Hickman  county 225 

McCracken  county 256 

Marshall  county 277 

Economic  Geology,  chapter  on 84 

Eden’s  Hill,  section  of  strata 252 

Elevations  in  Ballard  county 232 

Calloway  county 301 

Fulton  county 203 

Graves  county 286 

McCracken  county 248 

Marshall  county 265 

Elevation  of  the  country  8 

of  the  surface  at  beginning  of  drift 65 

plateaus  of 11 

Embayment  basin  18,  31 

Encaustic  tile,  methods  of  manufacture  of 95 

Eocene  division  of  Tertiary 37 

Eutaw  division  of  Cretaceous  32 

P. 

Facilities  for  transportation 16 

Farley,  J.  C.,  samples  of  bored  well 321 

Farmington,  elevation  of  286 

Faults  in  rocks  at  mouth  of  Cumberland 19 

head  of  embayment  region  321 

Feliciana,  gravel  beds  of 289 

Ferruginous  sandstone  of  Hickman  county 222 

Fire-brick  material,  and  method  of  manufacture  of 87 

Fire-clays,  analyses  and  description  of 101,  107 

of  Ballard  county  102,  107,  242 

Callo\Yay  county 102,  107 

Columbus  and  Chalk  Banks 101 

Graves  county 102 , 107 

Hickman  county 101 

McCracken  county 102,  107 

GEOL.  SUR. — 22. 


338 


INDEX, 


Fire-clays  of  Marshall  county 102,  107 

Flats,  oak  and  hickory,  soils  of I54 

of  the  Ohio  and  Clark’s  rivers 63,  245 

Flatwoods  of  Calloway  county 317 

Marshall  county 266,  282 

the  uplands,  description 160,  163,  266",  317 

underlaid  by  black  clay  . . 253 

Flint  of  subcarboniferous  formation 267 

Flint  Spring  P.  0.,  clays  near  307 

Flournoy,  W.  J.,  iron  ores  and  quartzite  on  place  of  ...  23,  124,  249,  253,  259 

Footprints  in  sandstone  near  Wickliffe 187 

Fort  Hindman 31,  303 

Fort  Jefferson,  bluffs  of 48,  233. 

description  and  analyses  of  clays  from 104,  107 

lignite  of  

ocherous  clay  near 117 

Fossil  leaves,  determinations  made  by 6 

enumeration  of  beds  of 52 

in  clay  at  Boaz  56,  114,  294 

■ claystone,  Ballard  county 50 

Columbus  clays 100 

Fulton  county 209 

of  Tertiary,  determination  of 49 

the  Lagrange  clays 52 

Fossils  of  Paducah  bored  well 325 

Tertiary  44,  45,  251,  252 

Foster,  0.  T.,  clay  on  place  of ^ 307 

Front  building  brick,  method  of  manufacture 86. 

Front-land  of  the  Mississippi  bottom 141 

Fulton,  clay  near 216 

county,  agricultural  features  of 210 

alluvial  and  bottom  lands  of 142,  145 

analyses  of  sandstones 40 

antiquities  of • • 173 

cane  hills  or  bluff  lands  of  158 

clays  of 98,  100 

description  of 201 , 216 

economic  features  of 213 

geological  features  of 204 

oak  and  hickory  lands  of 168 

wells  of 136 

G. 

Galena  in  Indian  mounds 183,  187 

occurrence  of  127 

Gas  retorts,  methods  of  manufacture  of 88 

Geological  features  of  Ballard  county 232 


INDEX. 


GeoloRical  features  of  Calloway  county 302 

Fulton  county 204 

Graves  county 287 

Hickman  county 218 

McCracken  county 248 

Marshall  county 266 

the  Purchase  region 17 

formations,  alluvium  or  recent 17,  82 

, brown  loam 17,  57,  80,  273,  289,  311 

j Calciferous  18 

J Chester 19,  217,  322 

Clear  creek 18 

Cretaceous 18  32,  74,  250,  270,  287,  305,  324 

Carboniferous 31 

Devonian 18,  22 

Hickman 18 

Keokuk ’326 

Lagrange 17,  51,  52,  100,  253,  288,  308 

Lignitic 17,  41,  126,  272,  287 

Loess  . 17,  57,  77 

Lower  Silurian  18,  29 

Lower  Subcarbon  iferous 18 

Miocene  52 

Mountain  limestone 322 

Onandaga 19,  22,  60,  61,  248 

Paleozoic 18 

Porter’s  creek 18,  41,  272,  287,  307 

Port  Hudson  . . 17,  39,  57,  59,  73,  255,  276,  312,  324 

Potsdam 18 

Quaternary 17,  57,  273,  289,  308,  324 

Kipley 18,  305 

Siliceous 18,  267 

St.  Louis 19,  322 

Stratified  drift 17,  57,  63,  309 

Subcarboniferous 18,  26,  267,  303,  321 

Tertiary  17,  36,  252,  272,  287,  306,  324 

Trenton 18 

W averly 29 

Geological  Survey  of  United  States,  assistance  from 198 

Geology,  border  region  of  the  embayment  18 

economic,  chapter  on  (also  see  Counties) 84 

Paleozoic  shelf 20 

Georgia,  Cretaceous  belt  of  32 

German  glass-pot  clays 102,  110,  112 

Gholson,  analysis  of  soil  from  place  of 168 

Gilbertsville,  limestone  near 149 

Glazing  pottery,  theory  of 93 


340 


INDEX. 


_ Grand  Chain,  limestones  of  232,  325 

magnetite  of 125 

of  the  Ohio 36 

Tennessee  river 19,  28 

Gravel  beds,  divisions  of 58 

of  Ballard  county 238 

Calloway  county 309 

Fulton  county 208 

Graves  county 289 

Hickman  county 222 

McCracken  county 254 

Marshall  county 273 

Tennessee  river 58 

thicknesses  of  254 

Gravel,  cement,  uses  of  66 

conglomerate 57,  61,  310 

deposits,  description  of 273,  290 

in  Mississippi  bottom 67 

of  ore  region 60 

recent  deposit  near  Paducah 83,  256,  276 

relative  elevations  in  Ballard  county 239 

use  of 227,  243,  259 

varying  depths  of 67 

Graves  county,  agricultural  features 297 

antiquities  of 195 

clays  of,  description  and  analyses  of 104,  107,  294 

description  of  285 

elevations  in 286 

fossil  leaves  from 198 

geologic  features 287 

iron  ores  of  - 125,  297 

lignite  of 121 

polishing  material  of 131,  295 

silicious  earths  of 133 

unrefractory  clays  from 114,  116 

upland  Barrens  of 163 

wells  of 136 

Graves,  Dr.  Wm.,  earthworks  on  place  of 182 

Gray,  H.  S.,  clay  from  place  of 114,  116,  279 

Greensand  or  glauconite,  occurrence  and  analysis  of 46,  129,  233 

Grey  silt  of  Ballard  county  239 

Fulton  county 209 

Hickman  county  223 

or  bluff  region  description  157,  160 

loess  formation — see  Geology. 

Grief,  Mrs.  Anne,  clay  on  place  of 258 

Guill  Hill,  clay  from 114,  116 


INDEX. 


341 


Gypsum  in  clay 113,  258 

in  lignite 120 

occurrence  of 128,  259 

use  of  on  land 212 

H. 

Hack  lines IG 

Haildock’s  ferry,  figures  on  rock  at 194 

Hard  Money,  clay  in  wells  of 252 

gravel,  beds  of 290 

iron  ores  near 125,  297 

wells  of 288 

Harkless  Brothers,  ocherous  clay  on  place  of 117,  241 

Harris  Grove,  clay  in  well  of 308 

Harvey,  clay  in  well  near 275 

Hazelwood,  barrens  soil  near 165,  246 

Heilprin,  Prof.,  fossils  determined  by 45 

Hematite,  occurrence  of 259,  270,  297 

Hickman,  antiquities  near 173 

bluffs,  clays  of 98,  100,  214 

bluffs,  section  of 38,  205 

county,  agricultural  features  of 227 

antiquities  of 178 

bottom  lands  of 142 

clays,  description  and  analyses  of  101,  102,  225 

clays,  comparison  with  German  clay 112 

description  of 217,  230 

economic  features 225 

fossil  fruit  from 198 

geological  features  of 218 

sands  of 131 , 227 

uplands  of 229 

wells 136 

division  of  Tertiary 18,  37,  205 

injury  to  by  the  river 82 

Loess  or  silt  in  bluffs  of 78 

Hico,  cretaceous  clay  and  sand  of  306 

wells  of 135 

Highland,  cherty  hills  of 303 

clays  from 115,  116,  279 

section  of  bluff" 75,  276 

vivianite  in  clays  of 75,  115,  127,  312 

High-water  points 286 

Hinkleville,  barrens  sand  of 246 

elevation  of 232 

gravel  bed  of . 238 

Hinson,  W.  F.,  mounds  on  place  of 192 


342 


INDEX. 


History  of  the  'purchase  of  “ Jackson’s  Purchase  ” 7 

Hogancamp,  ochreous  clay  on  place  of 118 

Hough,  W.  J.,  gypseous  clay  from  place  of 113,  116,  128  , 258  , 259 

Houser,  Mrs.,  clay  on  place  of 296 

Howard’s  pottery,  description  and  analysis  of  clays  from  . . .57,  104,  107,  296 
Humphrey’s  creek  14 


I. 

Indian  mounds  and  fortifications,  chapter  on 173 

Indurated  sandy  clay 42,  46 

Iron  furnace • 123 

of  later  gravel 124 

ore  of  ore  region  gravel 60,  123 

associated  with  quartzite 123,  124 

magnetic 125 

description  and  analyses  of 122,  124 

of  Calloway  county  314 

Graves  county 125,  297 

McCracken  county 124,  259 

Marshall  county 125,  280 

the  Coalings 123 

Iron  phosphate  or  vivianite 127 

Ironstone  clay,  occurrence  of 125 

ware,  description  and  requirements  for 89,  94 


J. 

Jackson  division  of  Tertiary 37 

Gen.  Andrew,  appointed  Indian  Commissioner 7 

Japan  clover,  occurrence  of 140 

Jonathan  creek,  lands  on . 283 

mounds  on 192 

Jones,  W.  J.,  clay  and  clay  iron-stone  from  place  of 113,  116,  125,  259 

K. 

Kaler  P.  O.,  elevation  of 286 

Kaolinite,  composition  of 110 

Keokuk  formation  of  Grand  Chain 326 

Kerr,  W.  J.,  description  of  old  fortification  by 179 

Kilgore  spring,  analysis  of  water  of 138 


L. 


Lagrange  formation 

clays  of  . . . ■. 
fossil  leaves  of  . 
material  of  . . . 
of  Ballard  county 


17,  37,  47,  53,  100,  253,  288,  .'’OP 

100,  216,  226 

.52,  56,  198 

. 53 

236 


INDEX. 


343 


Lagrange  formation  of  Callo\7ay  county 308 

Fulton  county 207 

Graves  county  . ..  288 

Hickman  county  . ^ 219 

McCracken  county  ...............  2-53 

section  showing  cross  lamination  54 

wells  of 136 

Liikes  of  the  river  bottoms 143 

Laketon,  clays  near . . . 105,  107,  236 

Indian  earthworks  and  mounds  near .180 

sands  of' 131 

yellow  ochre  of ...  241 

Lands,  description  of  the  Purchase  region  139 

of  Ballard  county . 144,  148,  154,  159,  163,  169,  243 

Blood  river  bottom  320 


Calloway  county , 144,  148,  160,  164,  169,  316 

Clark’s  river  valley  and  bottom  .............  148,  284,  320 

Fulton  county  . . 144,  153,  157,  169,  210 

Graves  county 164,  297 

Hickman  county 147,  159,  227 

Jonathan  creek 283 

McCracken  county  164,  164,  169,  260 

Marshall  county 148,  164,  160,  280 

Mayfield  creek  . 147,  214 

oak  and  hickory  uplands 167 

Shannon  creek 320 

the  Bayou  de  Chien 148 

Barrens  region  163 

Cane  Hills  region  157,  246  , 

Flatwoods 160,  317 


Mississippi  bottom 141 

Ohio  bottom  and  valley  143,  152,  243,  245 

Obion  bottom  148 

Tennessee  river  valley  and  bottoms 143,  150,  319 

Langenbeck,  Dr.  Karl,  remarks  of  .....  97,  103,  109 

Laredo,  lignite  of  ....  119 

Lawton’s  bluff 149 

Lead  ore,  occurrence  of 127 

Leaves  fossil,  enumeration  of  localities  . . , . ...  43 . 52 

from  clay  at  Boaz 114 

Wickliffe  and  Boaz,  description  of 198 

identification  of 49 

in  Columbus  clays 100 

of  Ballard  county 235 

Graves  county 198 , 288 , 294 

Tennessee  196 

the  Lagrange  clays 52 


344 


INDEX. 


Leaves,  fossil,  sketch  of 

. 197- 

Lespedoza  striata,  occurrence  of 

. 140 

Lesquereux,  Prof.,  leaves  described  by 

. 196 

Letter  of  transmittal  . . . . 

, 5 

Lewisburg,  clay  near 

, 258. 

Lignite,  analyses  of 

. 122 

at  Blandville  ....  o ....  

. 48, 

121 

Wickliffe  

• 47, 

120' 

beds  

, 42 

in  Ballard  county  

...  47, 

120, 

233, 

240 

Fulton  county  

. 209 

Graves  county 

43,  121, 

105, 

288, 

293 

of  Columbus  Bluffs,  Hickman  county  

219 

Kentucky  differs  from  that  of  other  States  . . 

119 

Panther  creek 

43, 

105, 

121 

region  of 

119 

uses  of 

241 

Lignitic  clays 

. . 108, 

126, 

234, 

242 

of  Ballard  county 

234, 

242 

division  of  Tertiary 

37 

formation,  general  description  of 

.17, 

126 

fossil  leaves  from 

198 

wells  of 

136. 

material  of  . . 

41 

of  Ballard  county 

233 

Calloway  county 

306 

Fulton  county  

. . 

. . . 

207 

Graves  county . 

105, 

288, 

293 

Hickman  county 

219 

Marshall  county  . 

. . . . . 

272 

McCracken  county  . . ..... 

251 

thickness  and  section  of  ....... 

> 0 C » 0 

« . . 

. 4L 

, 42 

peat  bed  . . 

234 

uses  of  . 

119 

Lilley,  Charles,  reference  to  .............. 

. . . . . 

. . . 

276 

Lime  sinks  .....................  . 

. . . 

269 

Limestone,  subcarboniferous  .............. 

. 28,  31, 

14D, 

267, 

303 

Limonite  ores,  analysis  of  ...............  . 

. . . . . 

. . 

. . . 

124 

Little  Chain  of  the  Ohio  ................ 

. . . . . 

. . 

. . . 

27 

Tennessee 

268 

Little  Cypress  P.  0.,  section  near 

271 

Mayfield  creek,  clay  from 

. . . . . 

106, 

107 

Livingston  county,  gravel  hills 

59 

geology  .............. 

. . . . . 

. . 

. . . 

19 

Loam,  brown,  description  of 

. . . . . 

. . 

80 

Locust  Grove,  gravel  beds  of  . . . 

. . . . . 

. . 

309 

L'kss  formntion,  characteristics  and  description  of  . . . . 

, 57, 

77 

INDEX. 


845 


Loess  formation  of  Ballard  county 239 

Fulton  county 209 

Hickman  county  223 

Loess  or  grey  silt,  analysis  of 79 

shells 6,  223 

Louirinna,  Port  Hudson  beds  of 73 

Lovelaceville,  elevation  of 232 

clays  near 237 , 258 

gravel  bed  of 238 

Lower  and  upper  loam  beds 81 

Silurian 18 

Lowes’  P.  O.,  clays  near 296 

Lowlands,  elevation  of  9 

of  IMcCracken  county 262 

Lumsford,  Lewis,  mounds  on  place  of 176 

Lyell’s  Mill,  Tertiary  strata  near 287 

Lynnville,  description  and  analysis  of  clays  near 104 , 107 , 295 

elevation  of 286 

gravel  beds  of 289 

wells 136 


M. 


McChristian,  deep  well  on  place  of  . . . , 33 , 

McClure,  iron  ore  on  place  of 125, 

McCracken  county,  agricultural  features  of 

analyses  of  clays  and  soils  from 100,  107, 


antiquities  of 

bottom  lands  of 

chalybeate  water  of . 

clay  from 106, 

description  of 

economic  features  . 

geological  features  ....  

iron  ores  of  124, 

ochreous  clay  of 

river  valley  lands  of  

timbered  soils  from 

unrefractory  clays  of 


upland  Barrens  of  163, 

vivianite  of 

wells  of • • 252, 


MeCutchen,  mounds  on  place  of 

McGee  spring,  analysis  of  water  of  . 

McLeod’s  bluflf,  mounds  of 

silt  of 

Magnetite,  occurrence  of 

Mahan,  F.  H.,  clay  from  place  of 109,  306, 


305 

297 

260 

170 

191 

143 

135 

107 

247 

256 

253 

259- 

118 

152 

169 

113 

165 

127 

253 

191 

138 

178 

223 

125 

313. 


346 


INDEX 


Mahan,  F.  H.,  sand  concretions  and  gravel  conglomerate  on  place  of  . . 309, 

“ volcano  ” on  place  of 62,  309, 

Mahon  spring,  analysis  of  water  of . 

Mail  routes ' o , 

Majolica  ware,  description  of  „ . 

Manufacture  of  common  brick  , 

drain  pipe . . . . 

earthenware 

encaustic  tile , 

fire-brick . , 

front  building  brick 

gas  retorts . . . 

ornamental  terra-cotta 

porcelain 

pottery r . . . 

stone-ware 

terra-cotta  lumber 

tile 

white-ware  

Marshall  county,  agricultural  features : 

antiquities  of 

bottom  lands  of  

clay  from 106,  107, 

description  of 

economic  features  of 

flatwoods  soils  of 

geologic  features 

iron  ores  of 

polishing  material  of ’ 

river  valley  lands  . 

sands  of 

upland  Barrens  of 

valley  soil  of 

vivianite  of 

wells  of 134,  136, 

Massac  county.  111.,  Cretaceous  clay  in 

creek  

P.  O.,  sand-rocks  near 

wells  of 


Material,  polishing  or  siliceous  earth 27,  29,  132, 

Maxon’s  mill,  black  clay  in  well  of 

Mayfield  creek,  blufifs  of 14,  15, 

bottom  lands 147, 

breaks,  soil  and  timber 244, 

clay  in  bluffs  of 

drainage  basin 14, 

earthworks  south  of  


310 

310 

138 

16 

91 

86 

96 

91 

96 

87 

86 

88 

95 

93 

89 

90 

87 

96 

93 

280 

192 

148 

116 

265 

277 

161 

266 

125 

132 

151 

129 

163 

155 

127 

276 

36 

14 

23 

253 

133 

253 

254 

300 

261 

258 

286 

183 


INDEX. 


347 


Mayfield  creek,  elevation  of  bottom  lands 
\Vest  Fork,  timber  growth 


width  of 

elevation  of 

gravel  beds 

wells  of 136, 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  Loess,  shells  of 

Micaceous  clay  loam  bed  

clays  of  cretaceous 

sandstones 44 , 

Milburn,  clays  of  . . . 48, 

elevation  of 

Milk  sickness,  test  of  water  for 


Millstone  Hill  of  Marshall  county 

Minerals  of  Fulton  county  

Miocene  formation 

Mississippi,  cretaceous  belt  of 

river,  alluvial  formation 

lands  

bluff 41,  203, 

ancient  mounds  of 

land 

bluffs,  silt  of 

bottom,  back  and  front  lands,  timber  growth  . 141,  142,  243, 

land,  analysis  of 

drainage  basin 

former  current  at  Hickman 

Mitchell,  clay  from  place  of 113,  116, 

Moore’s  Mill,  description  and  analysis  of  clay  from 105, 

Morris,  Rufus,  clays  on  place  of 57,  102,  107,  108,  110,  314, 

Morrow  slough  16, 

Mounds  near  Backusburg 

mouth  of  Chestnut  creek 

Punkney  Bend  road  

of  Ballard  county 

Callow’ay  county 

Fulton  county 

Hickman  county 

Graves  county 

McCracken  county 

Marshall  county 

on  Bayou  de  Chien 

Chalk  banks 

Jonathan  creek 

Obion  creek 

Panther  creek 

■opposite  to  Mound  City 


10 

245 

231 

286 

290 

289 

78 

76 

33 

45 

237 

232 

137 

274 

213 

52 

32 

82 

229 

231 

173 

228 

223 

244 

145 

14 

201 

258 

107 

315 

202 

195 

192 

181 

180 

195 

176 

178 

195 

191 

192 

176 

178 

192 

178 

195 

187 


348 


INDEX. 


Mountain  limestone  of  Paducah  bored  well 322' 

Munier,  John,  clay  from  place  of 106,  107,  257 

Murray,  elevation  of  302 

sand-rocks  or  quartzite  near 25,  304 

“Soapstone,”  black  clay  from 109,  110,  307,  313 

soil  from 316 

N. 

Newberg,  elevation  and  cherty  hills  near 302,  303 

New  Concord,  wells  of 135 

New  Madrid  Bend,  bottom  lands  of 203,  212 

New  Providence,  conglomerate  near 310 

quartzite  sand-rock 305 

soils  of 316 

Nick  Combs  spring 214 

Nick  P.  0.,  black  clay  near 273 


O. 

Oak  and  hickory  uplands,  description  of  .... 

of  Ballard  county  . . 
Calloway  county  . 
Fulton  county  . . . 
Graves  county  . . 
Hickman  county 
iMarshall  county  ■ . 
McCracken  county 

Oakton,  wells  of  

Obion  creek  and  Bayou  de  Chien,  former  union  of 

basin  of 

bottoms,  lands  of 

Indian  mounds  on 

Ochreous  clay,  analysis  of 

at  Wadesboro  

description  of 

in  Ballard  county 

Calloway  county 

McCracken  county 

near  Fort  Jefferson 

Laketon 

Ohio  river  basin 

bluffs,  ancient  mounds  of 

bottom  soil,  description  and  analysis  of 

current 

valley,  altitude  of 

lands,  description  of 

micaceous  clay  loam  of ...  . 
wells  of 


167 

169,  247 

169,  316 

169,  211 

261 

228. 

■ ....  281 

169,  261 

221 

15 

15,  286 

10,  213,  230 

178 

117 

118,  272 

43,  116 

241 

118 

118 

117 

117 

14 

173,  187 

141,  145,  243 

36 

9 

63,  152,  155,  263,  324 

76 

136 


INDEX. 


349 


Onondnpn  quartzite 

]>robal)ly  a Clinton  quartzite  . . . 

Opal  in  rocks  at  Hickman 

Ore  region  gravel,  description  of 

Oriskany  beds 

Ornamental  terra-cotta,  methods  of  manufacture  > o o 


22,  45,  123,  124,  129,  248 

325 

38,  205 

• 58,  00 

19 


. 95 


P. 


Paducah,  blue  clay  from  

bored  well  of 

Cretaceous  strata  in 

elevation  of 

gravel  ridge  near 

iron  ores  near 

Port  Hudson  beds  of  _ 

sand-rocks  near 

use  of  gravel  on  streets 

vivianite  of 

veil  of 

Paleozoic  formation,  fault  in  . . 

(see  also  Subcarbon  iferous)  . . 

shelf,  description  of 

Palestine  Church,  sand-rocks  near 

Palma,  elevation  of 

wells  near 

Panther  creek,  description  and  analyses  of  clays  from 

lignite  of 

mounds  on  

Pascal,  Dr.  G.  W.,  analyses  of  soils  of  place  of . . . . 
Peat,  fossil  or  lignitic  ^ , 

Pentremites  Godonii  in  Paducah  bored  well  ...... 

Pepper’s  mill,  section  of  well  of 

Peter,  Dr.  Robert,  remarks  of 

Petrified  wood  

Phosphate  of  iron  or  vivianite  occurrence  ....... 

Pilot  Oak,  elevation  of 

Pittman,  J.  W.,  description  and  analyses  of  clays  from  . 

Pittman’s  pottery 

Plateaus  of  elevation 

Polishing  material,  description  and  analysis  of  .... 

of  Calloway  county 

Graves  county  

Marshall  county  .....  ... 

Porcelain,  methods  of  manufacture  of 

' requirements  for 

Porter’s  creek  division  of  Tertiary,  general  description  . 

formation  of  Calloway  county 


115,  lie,  255,  250,  257 
.321 

• - » 250 

• 9,  248 

83 

259 

76,  255 

23,  250 

259 

• • • 74,  115,  127,  259 

135,  136 

321 

18,  267 

20,  321,  325 

23,  250,  325 

• • " 265 

•  135,  271 

104,  107 

288,  293 

• 195 

" ' - 168 

“ » • • . 50,  119,  288 

322,  325 

■ " • . 253 

215,  226 
66 

127 

286 

• . 57,  104,  107,  295 

295 

11 

• • 27,  29,  131,  133 
132 

• • • . 56,  131,  295 

132,  280 

93 

89 

18,  37,  41 

307 


INDEX. 


3:0 


Potter’s  creek  formation  of  Graves  county 287 , 288 

McCracken  county  251 

Marshall  county 272 

Port  Hudson  formation,  clays  of 39,  108 

description  of  . . . . . . . 17,  21,  39,  45,  57,  73,  324 

extent  of  74 

micaceous  clay  loam  bed 76 

of  Calloway  county 312 

Clark’s  river  valley  76 

Fulton  county 209 

Hickman  county 224 

McCracken  county 255 

Marshall  county 0 ...  • 276 

Mayfield  creek  . » . o . . 77 

Ohio  valley  . . . . • . . . . 76 

Tennessee  valley 76 

soils  of 142 


Possum  Trot  ridge ...  . 

Post  oak  fiats  of  the  Ohio  valley  . » . . . . . . . . o . . . 

Potsdam  formation . 

Potteries,  location  of  

Eussell’s,  Howard’s  and  Pitman’s  . 

Pottery,  decoration  of  .....  o ...  

enumeration  and  description  of  kinds,  and  methods  of  manufacture,  85,  89 
Indian  relics 173,  178 


267 

155 

18 

96 

57 

95 


56,  131, 


theory  of  glazing 

Pottsville,  elevation  of ........... 

Prairies,  original  region  of 

Pryorsburg,  bluff  showing  silicious  earth  or  polishing  material  . 

gravel  beds  of 

Pryor’s  creek,  bottom  lands 

Punkney  Bend,  earthworks  and  mounds  of  

Pugh,  J.  T.,  clay  on  place  of 57,  106,  107,  275,  278 

Purchase  region,  history  and  population  of t 

Pyrites,  occurrence  of 

Pyrites  in  lignite 


93 

286 

298 

295 

290 

301 

181 


121 


Q. 


Quaternary  black  clay 

conglomerate 

formation,  divisions  of  ...  . 

- general  features  of  . 
of  Ballard  county  . 
Calloway  county 
Fulton  county  . 
Graves  county  . 
Hickman  county 


108 

34 

57 

17 

C'^r> 

cos 

208 

289 

221 


INDEX. 


351 


Quaternary  formation  of  McCracken  county 

Marshall  county 

sand  of 

sand-rock,  footprints  in 

Quartz  crystals,  smoky 60, 

Quartzose  sandstone  ....  18,  19,  22,  45,  60, 

not  Devonian  

Quartz  relic 

R. 

Railroad  routes  through  the  region 

Ray,  J.  R.,  mounds  on  place  of 

Recent  formations 

Red  Oak  Barrens,  analysis  of 

Reelfoot  Lake  bluffs 39, 

channel  in 

Reeves,  H.,  analysis  of  Barrens  land  of 

Refractory  clays,  chapter  on 

description  and  analysis  of 102, 

of  Ballard  county 

Hickman  bluffs 

material  made  of  clays  

requirements  for 

Regions,  agricultural,  enumeration  and  description  of 


Relic  made  from  quartz 

Ripley  division  of  Cretaceous 32, 

River  bottom  or  alluvial  lands,  description 82,  141, 

bottoms,  sand  ridges  of 83, 

valley  lands 

Eockingbam  ware  

Roof,  Dr.,  clay  on  place  of 

Rookwood  pottery  tests 5,  103,  241,  278,  296, 

Rotten  limestone,  division  of  Cretaceous 

Russell’s  clay,  comparison  with  German  clay 

description  and  analysis  of 57,  103,  107, 

remarks  concerning 

Ryan,  Geo.,  clay  from  place  of 106 , 


S. 

Safford,  Dr.  J.  M.,  fossil  leaves  collected  by 


Prof.,  quoted 

Samuel,  clays  from  farm  of  105, 

Sand,  analyses  of 

and  sandstone  of  tHe  stratified  drift 71,  273, 

beds  of  Cretaceous 32,  33,  131, 

character  of  in  Purchase  129, 

front-land  of  the  Mississippi 


254 

273 

129 

187 

322 

304 

325 

179 

16 

195 

82 

165 

207 

202 

165 

97 

106 

242 

98 

85 

87 

140 

179 

305 

149 

146 

263 

94 

258 

313 

;32 

112 

314 

97 

107 

196 

123 

lor 

130 

300 

305 

296 

141 


352 


INDEX. 


Sand  hill  near  Benton 34,  130  , 270 

in  Calloway  county 

South  Graves  county 292 

ridges  in  river  bottoms 83,  146,  231,  232,  244 

Sands  of  Columbus,  Hickman  county 227 

Laketon,  Ballard  county 131 

the  Quaternary  and  Tertiary 131 

Sandstone,  Chester,  of  Barber’s  Landing 27 

ferruginous  34,  66,  222 

footprints  in 187 

micaceous  fossiliferous 44,  45,  252,  287 

of  Ballard  county 238 

Calloway  county 309 

Hickman  bluff,  analyses  of 40 

quartzite 60 

Sandy  creek,  Indian  mounds  near 180 

Sassafras  ridge,  description  of  83,  202 

Indian  mounds  on 177 

soil  and  timber  of . 146 

wells  near 137,  209 

Scale,  clays  from 114,  116,  275,  279 

elevation  of 265 

Section  of  Barber’s  Landing  well 277 

beds  at  Cypress  creek 35,  271 

bluff  at  Caledonia,  111 46 

Columbus 46,  218 

Hickman 38  , 205 

Highland 75,  276 

Pryorsburg 56,  295 

near  Wickliffe 48,  233 

gravel  bed  near  Mayfield 290 

Lignitic  group 42 

Paducah  strata 76 

well 250 

bored  well 322 

Port  Hudson  at  Columbus 73,  224 

Wickliffe 74 

Quaternary  material  at  Columbus 222 

railroad  cut  near  Boaz 67 

showing  clays,  etc 55 

sand  bill  near  Benton 270 

Spring  creek  bluffs 252 

showing  cross  lamination  of  Lagrange  sands 54 

of  Tennessee  river  gravel 59 

Sedalia,  elevation  of 286 

gravel  beds  of 289 

Selenite  crystals  120,  128,  234 


INDEX. 


'.m 


Shannon  creek  bottom  lands 

Sliarp,  clays  near 

elevation  of 

mounds  near 

Shelby,  Gov.,  appointed  Indian  Commissioner 

Shelf  of  Snbearboniferous 

Shells  of  Loess  bluffs 

Shiloh,  clay,  sand  and  soil  of 

Shore  line 

Siliceous  clay  beds  of  Columbus 

earth  at  Prj’orsburg 

or  polishing  material  .... 

Silt  bluffs,  description  of 

shells  of 

formation  of  Ballard  county 

Fulton  county 

Hickman  county 

land  of  Mississippi  bluffs 

uses  of  

Silver  ore  of  Clark’s  river 

Sink  south  of  Benton 

Skeleton  remains  of  Indians 

Sketch  of  earthworks  at  Hickman 

Wickliffe 


150,  151,  320 

277 

205 

102 


207 

77,  78,  223 

300,  310 

18,  20,  31 

101 

50,  295 

27,  29,  30,  131,  133,  209,  280 


. 77,  78 

. . . 239 
. . . 209 


223 


228 


. . . 216 
127,  128 

. . . 275 


174 

175 
185 


on  Punkney  Bend  road 182 

Sandy  creek 181 

figures  on  rock  in  Tennessee  river 194 

footprints  on  sandstone  189 

fossil  leaves  from  Tennessee 197 

mounds  on  Bayou  de  Chien 177 

Jonathan  creek  193 

Slip-clay  for  glazing,  analysis  of 91 

Smith,  Mr.,  sand-rocks  on  place  of 24 

“Soapstone”  clav"  of  Lignitic  group  . .25,  42,  108,  110,  251,  272,  287,  307,  313 

Soils  of  Blood  river  bottoms 320 

Clark’s  river  valley  and  bottom 284,  320 

river  valley  lands i 263 

the  Barrens 164,  262,  299,  318 

bottom  lands 263,  284 

Cane  hills 158,  210 

Coalings 317 

flatwoods 161,  317 

Mississippi  bottom 142,^229 

oak  and  hickory  uplands 167,  261, '281 

Port  Hudson  formation  142 

Tennessee  valley  and  bottom 149,  283,  319 

Somerville,  Tenn.,  fossil  leaves  from 196 

GEOL.  SUE. — 23. 


354 


INDEX. 


Springs  of  the  Purchase  region  

St.  Louis  limestones 19, 

Stone,  Mrs.  Lou.,  polishing  material  on  place  of 29,  132, 

Stone-ware,  methods  of  manufacture  of 

requirements  for 

Stratified  drift,  differences  in  elevation 

material  of 17,  57,  63,  65, 


of  Ballard  county 
Calloway  county  . 
Fulton  county  . . 
Graves  county  . . 
Hickman  county  . 
McCracken  county 
Marshall  county  . 
Stringtown,  black  clay  near  .... 
Stubblefield,  gravel  beds  of  .... 

wells  of 

Subcarboniferous  chert  decomposed  . 


formation 26,  32,  232,  267,  289, 

fault  of 

rocks,  no  drift  above 

shelf  31, 

wells  of 

Supply  of  water  of  the  Purchase  region 

Surface  features  of  Ballard  county 230, 

Calloway  county 301 , 

Fulton  county 201 , 

Graves  county 285 , 

Hickman  county 217, 

Marshall  county 265 , 

McCracken  county 248, 

of  country,  character  and  elevations  of 8,  9,  10,  11, 

Symsonia,  gravel  beds  of 

Tertiary  strata  near 


T. 

Tennessee,  analysis  of  silt  from 

cretaceous  belt  of 

fossil  leaves  of 

river  

basin  drainage 

bluff  at  Highland 

bottom  soils  . • 145,  148,  284,  318, 

figures  on  rock  in 

gravel  

valley,  altitude  of  . 

• clays  of 


322 

269 

90 

89 

65 

, 71 

238 

309 

208 

289 

221 

254 

273 

272 

290 

136 

132 

303 

321 

71 

322 

134 

135 

243 

316 

210 

297 

227 

281 

260 

, 65 

290 

287 

79 

32 

52 

63 

13 

276 

319 

194 

58 

9 

312 


INDEX. 


855 


Tcnnossoe  river  vnlloy,  description  of 50,  81,  149,  2G5,  2S.‘l 


micaceous  clay  loam  of  ...  . 

. 76 

ells  of 

Terra-cotta,  ornamental,  mctliods  of  manufacture  ■ . . 

. 95 

Terrapin  creek,  clays  of 

296 

Tertiary  clays 

226, 

252, 

277 

fire-clays 

. 108 

formation 

7,  36 

, 37, 

324 

fossils  of 

, 45, 

252 

of  Ballard  county 

. 232 

Calloway  county 

. 306 

Fulton  county 

, 205 

Graves  county 

, 287 

Hickman  county 

219 

McCracken  county 

. 251 

Marshall  county 

272 

sand  of 

, 131 

wells  of 

, 136 

fossil  leaves 

, 62, 

198 

fossils  determined  by 

6 

lignite,  greensand  at  base  of 

129 

lignitic  clays,  pyrites  in 

126 

Tests  made  by  the  Rook  wood  pottery 5, 

103, 

, 241, 

278, 

296, 

313 

Texas,  lignite  of 

116 

Theory  of  glazing  pottery 

93 

Tile,  common,  methods  of  manufacture 

96 

encaustic,  methods  of  manufacture 

95 

Timber  growth  of  Big  Cypress  creek 

285 

bottom  lands 

> 213, 

263, 

284 

Cane  hills 

158, 

211, 

228, 

246 

Clanton  creek 

244 

Clark’s  river  valley  and  bottom  . . . 

.147, 

, 153, 

284, 

300, 

320 

Mayfield  creek  bottom 

. 147, 

244, 

300 

uplands  

247, 

261 

Mississippi  bottom 

142, 

202, 

229, 

244 

Oak  and  Hickory  uplands  . . . 167, 

211, 

229, 

247,  261,  : 

281, 

300, 

316 

Obion  and  Bayou  de  Chien  .... 

147, 

230 

Ohio  valley 

245, 

263 

Pryor’s  creek 

301 

Shannon  creek 

150, 

320 

Tennessee  river  valley  and  bottom  . 

. 140, 

, 143, 

283, 

318, 

319 

the  Coalings  

317 

Upland  Barrens 164, 

246, 

. 262, 

282, 

299, 

317 

flatwoods  

282, 

317 

West  Fork  of  Clark’s  river 

285 

Mayfield  creek  .... 

245 

INDKX. 


3f)6 


Tobacco  yield  of  the  Barrens 164,  246  299 

Oak  and  Hickory  uplands 168 

Tennessee  valley 140,  319 

I'pland  flatvvoods 161 

Tonibighee  sand,  division  of  the  Cretaceous  32 

Tracks  in  sandstone 187 

Transmittal,  letter  of o 

Transportation  facilities 16 

'J’naiton  formation 18 

Trilohite  in  gravel 60,  239 

Tyler,  Captain  Henry,  analysis  of  soils  on  place  of 159 


U. 

Unrefraetory  clays,  description  of 

Upland  Barrens,  description  of 

flatwoorls,  description  of ' 

Oak  and  Hickory  region  (see  also  counties) 

Uplands,  description  of 

elevations  of 

Upper  brown  loam  bed 

Upper  Silurian 

Uses  of  clays 


V. 

Valley  lands  of  Clark’s  river 153,  284,  300 

the  Ohio,  description  of 63,  152,  245 

rivers 149,  151 

Tennessee 149,  265,  283,  318 

Vicksburg  division  of  Tertiary 37 

Vi'danite,  occurrence  of  ....  74  , 75,  113,  115,  127  , 258  , 259  , 276  , 279  , 312 
“ Volcano,”  in  Murray  county 62,  310 


. . . 112 
163,  167 
160,  163 
167,  173 
. 157-173 
. . . 10 
. . . 81 
. . . 18 
. . . 85 


W. 


Wade.sboro,  ochreous  cla}^  of 118,  272,  307,  313 

Warburg — see  Newburg. 

Washing  of  lands 229 

Water,  analyses  of 135,  138 

chalybeate,  of  Ballard  county 137 

Fulton  county 214 

McCracken  county 135 

supply  of  the  Purchase  region 134 

Waverly  formation ' . 29 

Wgll  bored  in  Paducah 321 

Wells  of  Ballard  county 55,  136 

Calloway  county 134 

Fulton  county 136,  208 

Graves  county 136,  289 


i 

INDEX.  8.57 

AVells  of  Hickman  county l.'UI,  221 

3IcCrackon  county 24‘J,  252,  255,  321 

Marshall  county 271,  270 

Oliio  river  valley 130 

Paducah 135,  130,  321 

Tennessee  river  valley 130 

the  Cretaceous  formation 134 

eastern  part  of  the  Purchase  134 

Lagrange  formation 136 

Lignitic  Tertiary • 130 

Subcarboniferous  belt 134 

"West  Fork  of  Clark’s  river 14,  286 

lands  of . . 148 

Mayfield  creek  bottom  land 148 

AVest  Plains,  elevation  of 286 

gravel  beds  of 290 

AVetherby,  Prof.,  identification  of  shells  by 78 

AA’hite  plastic  fire-clays,  description  of 102 

AA’hite-ware,  varieties,  manufacture  and  decoration  of 93,  94,  95 

AA’hitt,  Obadiah,  clay  on  place  of 295 

lignite  on  place  of  121 , 288 

AATcklifie,  beds  of  clay-stone  near 50 

bluff"  near 48,  233 

bottom  lands  of 141 

clay,  comparison  with  German  clay 112 

description  of  fossil  leaves  from 198 

elevation  of 232 

footprints  in  sandstone  187 

gravel  bed  of 238 

lignite  bed  near 120,  240 

loess  or  silt  of 79 

mounds  near 184 

Port  Hudson  beds  of 74 

white  and  yellow  clays  of 104,  105,  107,  241 

\A’igwams  once  at  Hickman 173 

Udlson,  T.  J.,  ochreous  clay  on  place  of 118,  241 

VATngo,  clays  near 294 

gravel  beds  of : 289,  290 

AATnter’s  place,  siliceous  earth  from 133 

AA'itherspoon,  well  on  place  of 33,  306 

AA^ood,  silicified 66 

AA^oodville,  gravel  bed  of 238 

AA'yatt’s  school-house,  clays  of 103,  107,  112,  308 

Z. 

Zinc  ore  • - - 127 


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POCKET  CONTAINS  MAPS 


lowing  Geology  and  Elevation 
“ Agricultural  Features.  . . 

'•  Deposition  of  Gravel  Beds 


